A Minnesota contractor has agreed to increase employee training on trenching hazards and pay a $380,000 penalty after reaching a settlement with OSHA. Wagner Construction, a contractor who specializes in excavation, has agreed to pay the $380,000 penalty and provide immediate training on trenching and excavation hazards to its jobsite employees, managers and supervisors. The […]
At the request of stakeholders, OSHA has extended the comment period on its proposed Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) update. Here’s what you need to know, direct from three OSHA staffers. This update was presented by Janet Carter and Deana Holmes, both health scientists, and Jennifer Lawless, an industrial hygienist, all with OSHA’s Standards Directorate, at […]
OSHA conducts 30,000-35,000 inspections a year, and there’s a chance it could pay you a visit. If that happens, be aware that some hazards that don’t have a specific standard have become so prevalent that the agency is citing employers under the OSH Act 5(a)(1) General Duty Clause. During the Premier Learning Solutions webinar “OSHA’s New Targeted […]
The time is right to review your records and conduct a safety compliance analysis. As of December, OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting (SST) inspection program for non-construction employers with 20+ employees is back and will run for two years. Also, recently appointed U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has directed the agency to ramp up inspections. For […]
It appears OSHA’s update of its hazard communication standard will be slightly delayed. OSHA has extended the comment period for the proposed rule to update the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to May 19, 2021. The comment period was extended by 30 days to allow stakeholders more time to review the proposed rule. OSHA issued […]
The Biden Administration nominated the current chief of Cal/OSHA to act as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labor in charge of OSHA. Douglas Parker, the current head of Cal/OSHA and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at MSHA under the Obama Administration, is President Joe Biden’s nominee to head OSHA. Before his Cal/OSHA […]
In a new interpretation letter, OSHA has removed its requirement for “double reporting” a fatality that occurs immediately after a worker hospitalization. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, OSHA started issuing citations if an employer failed to report cases involving an admission to a hospital followed by a fatality, but a recently published interpretation letter indicates […]
A New York-based barge company and several of its management officials have paid $375,000 in restitution to the brother of one of two workers killed in a barge explosion off the coast of Texas. The brother was allegedly fired from the same company, Bouchard Transportation, after he cooperated with investigators and reported safety concerns to […]
The Senate confirmed Marty Walsh as secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) on Monday with a 68 to 29 vote in favor of the Boston Mayor and former leader at the Laborers’ Union Local 223. As head of the DOL, Walsh will oversee both OSHA and MSHA. “I have been a fighter for the […]
