On June 2, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of an “opinion letter” program across five agencies, providing workers, employers, and others with compliance assistance. The program includes letters of interpretation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) explaining the agency’s regulatory requirements.
The DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and Wage and Hour Division will also issue written interpretations explaining how laws apply to specific circumstances presented by individuals or organizations. The DOL said the program would promote clarity, consistency, and transparency in applying federal labor standards.
For decades, OSHA has responded to questions about its standards. The agency’s Letters of Interpretation and a form for asking new questions are available on its website.
“Opinion letters are an important tool in ensuring workers and businesses alike have access to clear, practical guidance,” Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement. “Launching this program is part of our broader effort to empower the public with the information they need to understand and comply with the laws the department enforces.”
Orlando Salvation Army cited following fatal fall
The Salvation Army faces a $120,817 OSHA fine after a 54-year-old maintenance worker suffered fatal injuries following a fall while working at an Orlando donation center and store in November 2024, the agency announced May 30. Agency investigators found that the worker was repairing a roof leak when the fall occurred on November 7.
The agency cited the Salvation Army for a similar violation at its Princeton, West Virginia, location in January 2020, leading OSHA to issue a citation for a repeat violation at the Orlando center.
The agency also cited the company for five serious violations, including failure to assess workplace hazards, provide fall protection training, and ensure proper machine guarding. Two other-than-serious violations were issued for failing to report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours of the incident and the lack of a hazard communication program.
CSB releases safety video on fatal 2020 explosion
On May 22, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a safety video on its investigation into the fatal December 8, 2020, explosion at the Optima Belle chemical facility in Belle, West Virginia.
The video, “Outsourcing Responsibility: Explosion at Optima Belle,” includes an animation of the events leading up to the incident and commentary from CSB board member Sylvia Johnson, investigator-in-charge Vonzella Vincent, and investigator Drew Sahli.
Optima Belle is a toll manufacturer, a company that provides chemical processing services under contract to other companies, typically using its own equipment. On the day of the incident, Optima Belle was performing work for Clearon Corporation.
Optima Belle was contracted to dehydrate a chemical product called CDB-56, a reactive compound, in batches using a piece of equipment called a rotary double cone dryer. Because Clearon had never used this type of pressurized dryer to dehydrate CBD-56 and Optima Belle had never dehydrated CSB-56, Optima Belle, working with Clearon, developed a new procedure to use the rotary double cone dryer for the dehydration operation. At approximately 10:00 p.m. on December 8, 2020, the dryer exploded, and toxic chlorine gas was released into the atmosphere.
The CSB issued a final report on its investigation in July 2023.