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
Two Florida contractors face six-figure Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for willfully exposing workers at sites in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach to trench and excavation collapses and cave-ins, the agency announced December 5. Masci General Contractor is facing $216,633 in proposed penalties after agency inspectors witnessed workers installing a sewer line in a […]
EHS programs are critical to the overall well-being of workers, the environment, and the organization’s bottom line. They are designed to prevent accidents, reduce risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and protect the company’s reputation. However, the success of these programs hinges on a variety of factors, and one of the most important among them is the […]
A federal grand jury has indicted Houston-based Phillips 66 on several charges related to alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the CWA and four counts of knowingly violating the CWA in incidents that allegedly discharged thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from the Phillips Carson oil […]
The EPA recently announced the registration of the new active ingredient glufosinate-P, which controls weeds in conventional and glufosinate-resistant field corn, sweet corn, soybean, cotton, and canola. The Agency also released its final biological evaluation for the active ingredient under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “Glufosinate-P is the first new active ingredient registration where EPA […]
The EPA recently announced it finalized stronger requirements for identifying and cleaning up lead paint dust in pre-1978 homes and childcare facilities. “There is no safe level of lead exposure, particularly for children. In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain,” states an EPA news […]
On November 29, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) extended the deadline for public comment on its heat illness prevention proposal (89 Fed. Reg. 94631). Comments are now due January 14, 2025. The agency published its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings on […]
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Formaldehyde Panel sent a detailed letter, dated November 4, 2024, to the EPA to bring its attention to “the substantial comments submitted to the EPA from a diverse group of stakeholders and peer reviewers raising major issues with the EPA’s 2024 draft formaldehyde risk assessment.” The ACC alleges the Biden […]
A congressional delegation from San Diego in October requested EPA support to assist the San Diego County Air Pollution District with air monitoring for neighborhoods near the Mexico border. “In early September, high levels of noxious gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide were measured by scientific teams in the river valley and noticed […]
A Mississippi steel pipe manufacturer has reached a settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to resolve citations and penalties involving one worker’s death and another’s amputation injuries, the agency announced November 22. On January 19, two employees of Jindal Tubular USA LLC in Bay Saint Louis were setting up a site […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to force the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) subpoenas, OSHA announced November 21. The agency is conducting a whistleblower investigation at the USPS’s New Salem, Pennsylvania, facility. OSHA opened an […]