Category: Enforcement and Inspection

As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.

Free Special Report: What to Expect from an OSHA Inspection

Back to Basics: How the Government Tracks Injuries, Illnesses, Fatalities

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities are tracked by the federal government. The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) collect and disseminate […]

Infographic: Working On or Near Water

There are many risks to consider when working on a job near water. Here’s what you need to know about worker safety around water.

Prop 65 Final Short-Form Warning Changes

On December 6, 2024, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced the final approval of amendments that “will make the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) short form warning more informative to consumers by adding at least one chemical name and providing additional warning options from which businesses can select,” according to an OEHHA […]

EPA Announces Draft Guidance for the Consideration of Cumulative Impacts

The EPA recently released a draft of the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts, which is intended to provide EPA employees and decision-makers with tools and principles to consider cumulative impacts in their work. The EPA defines cumulative impacts scientifically by the totality of exposures to chemical and non-chemical stressors and their effects […]

California Makes Emergency Silica Standard Permanent

California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted December 19 to make the state’s emergency respirable crystalline silica (RCS) standard permanent. The rule aims to protect workers, especially those who work with artificial, man-made stone, from silica exposures. According to the standards board, the RCS standard strengthens the emergency temporary standard (ETS) that went into […]

Illinois Contractor Facing $266K in New OSHA Fines for Fall Violations

Corner Construction Corp., a Zion, Illinois, contractor, faces $266,175 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for again failing to provide fall protection for its employees, the agency announced December 31. OSHA cited Corner Construction with one willful, one repeat, and one serious violation. Agency investigators found workers performing roofing work on a […]

Maine Contractor Faces $161K OSHA Fine After Trench Fatality

Patriot Paving Group LLC, a Glenburn, Maine, contractor, faces $161,325 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after an employee suffered fatal crushing injuries in a trench, the agency announced December 26. OSHA cited Patriot Paving with five willful violations, finding that the contractor ignored an on-site expert’s repeated warnings and the company’s own site-specific […]

OSHA and Amazon Reach Settlement Over Ergonomic Safety at Facilities

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Amazon have entered into a corporate-wide settlement to help better protect employees from hazardous working conditions leading to serious lower back and other musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon facilities. The settlement agreement resolves the department’s multiple ergonomics cases against Amazon.com Services LLC, in the first major multi-site investigation […]

Animal Shelter Faces $563K Cal/OSHA Fine

The Harbor Animal Services Center of San Pedro, California, operated by Los Angeles City Animal Services, faces a $563,250 fine after a series of employee animal attacks and bites, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced December 17. One worker, whose leg was badly mauled, required hospitalization, according to the agency. The […]

Back to Basics: Best of 2024

As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of our highlights from 2024. Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite Back to Basics articles from this year. How’s Your Powered Industrial Truck Compliance? You need to be mindful of the hazards posed by forklifts and other powered industrial trucks […]