An OSHA official at a Jan. 29 news conference stated the agency will once again be issuing news releases when an employer has been cited for safety and health violations. Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Labor Patricia Smith stated that the Trump administration policy of not issuing news releases on citations has been revoked. […]
OSHA 300-A Summary forms listing 2020 injuries and illnesses must be posted by Feb. 1, 2021. Employers who keep Part 1904 OSHA workplace injury and illness records must review the 2020 OSHA 300 Log for accuracy, correct any issues and then create the 300-A Annual Summary. Form 300-A summaries must be posted in an area […]
President Joe Biden appointed Jim Frederick to OSHA’s No. 2 leadership position, giving the administration the ability to put Biden’s vision of OSHA into place … perhaps quickly. Frederick, who replaces Loren Sweatt, was named the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jan. 20, and his appointment allows the new administration to pursue its agenda […]
A federal judge has rejected an attempt by states and public health groups to reinstate part of an OSHA recordkeeping rule. Six states (Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York) and three public health groups sought to require some employers to submit their Forms 300 and 301 electronically to OSHA. In 2016, under […]
Federal OSHA is raising its maximum penalty amounts for 2021 based on cost-of-living adjustments for the year. Maximum penalties for serious and other-than serious violations will increase from $13,494 per violation to $13,653 per violation, while willful or repeat violations will increase from $134,937 to $136,532 per violation. This increase is based on the 2015 […]
President-elect Biden has chosen Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to be his Labor Secretary. Walsh would oversee OSHA and MSHA, which are part of the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2016, as Mayor of Boston, Walsh filed an ordinance to give the city the right to deny, revoke or suspend a work permit based on the […]
OSHA began collecting calendar year 2020 Form 300A data Jan. 2, and electronic versions of the form must be submitted by March 2. Electronic submissions are required by employers who have 250 or more employees and who are required to keep OSHA injury and illness records. Employers with 20-249 employees in industries with historically high […]
Federal OSHA announced a new debt collection initiative involving a series of letters, a phone call and eventual placement on an inspection priority list. The initiative begins with a series of penalty payment letters sent to businesses that don’t pay fines in a timely manner and eventually leads to employers being placed on an inspection […]
Three out of the top 10 largest OSHA fines in 2020 were above $1 million. All ten were above $470,000. Retailers accounted for four of the top 10. Here are the 10 largest OSHA fines in 2020: BB Frame, Cliffside Park, NJ, $2,004,225. OSHA fined this New Jersey framing contractor for exposing workers to multiple […]
