Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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
Yesterday, we listed 14 specific workplace rights conferred on your employees by OSHA. Today, we’ll take a closer look at two key rights that sometimes get employers in trouble. OSHA encourages employees to be active players in their workplace’s safety and health effort. Specifically, OSHA encourages workers to join with employers in promoting safety on […]
Washington, D.C., is full of new faces and new initiatives. What are the implications for occupational safety and health of all these changes? Who stands to gain and whose agenda will be shoved to the back burner for the next 3½ years? There is no shortage of opinion about what the Obama administration will ultimately […]
Employers across the country are being hit with big penalties for safety and health violations all the time. Make sure you have the safety resources and information you need to stay in compliance and keep your company’s name out of the headlines. OSHA assesses penalties on the basis of: Gravity of the alleged violation Size […]
You hope you never get an OSHA citation. But should that day ever come, you need to be prepared for what happens next—the "abatement" process. If OSHA cites your workplace for violations, you must follow prescribed abatement procedures in a timely manner. There are five key steps. 1. Correct. Hazards found during an OSHA inspection […]
Yesterday, we described OSHA’s new enhanced enforcement initiatives. Today, we provide you with an essential safety and health resource that can help you respond to enforcement changes as well as additional compliance requirements that are likely as the new OSHA administration gains momentum. With the prospect of significant enhancement of OSHA’s enforcement practices and new […]
Acting OSHA administrator Jordan Barab says that OSHA is gearing up to go after employers that are not meeting their obligations under the OSH Act. A new enhanced enforcement program is in the works. We’ve all known since the new administration took office that change was coming to OSHA. Now it looks like enhanced enforcement […]
Yesterday we looked at what to expect from an OSHA inspection. Today we move on to how to prepare for an inspection. Being well prepared will help you get the best outcome should OSHA come knocking at your door. In theory, OSHA inspections do not need a reason to happen. Any organization can be visited […]
Every year OSHA inspects thousands of workplaces across the country. Yours could be one of them. If you know what to expect before the inspector crosses your threshold, you’ll be in the best position to handle the inspection skillfully and successfully. With a few exceptions, you won’t have advance notice of an inspection. The inspector […]
Safety is all about awareness and knowledge. Knowledge gives you the power to prevent accidents. One of the best ways to keep informed about ever-changing work area conditions is to perform routine safety inspections. Today we look at some of the legal, management, and training issues involved with self-inspections. Legal Issues BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists […]
What is the ideal safety inspection? It certainly isn’t a surprise visit from an OSHA inspector. And it’s not one that follows a safety incident. It isn’t even an inspection that’s part of a workplace safety audit. The ideal inspection is a routine that you and your employees faithfully observe and manage yourselves. Five Good […]