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

Pennsylvania Candy Maker Cited in Gas Leak Explosion

Pennsylvania candy maker R.M. Palmer Co. failed to evacuate its employees after some reported smelling gas before a March 2023 explosion that killed seven workers at the company’s West Reading facility, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced October 5. The agency has cited R.M. Palmer with three serious and five other-than-serious workplace safety […]

Secretary Su Joins ASSP to Unveil Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su will join American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) President Jim Thornton and New York Governor Kathy Hochul on October 11 to dedicate a memorial in New York City to the 146 garment workers killed in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the ASSP announced September 27. The ASSP was […]

Battery Manufacturer Cited for Lead Violations

An Augusta, Georgia, battery manufacturer faces $160,727 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for exposing employees to unsafe levels of lead, the agency announced September 27. OSHA made its determination based on personal air monitoring of workers and lead accumulation on respirators and counters in areas where workers took their lunch breaks. The […]

Contractor Agrees to $370K Fine to Avoid Prosecution

An Oklahoma contractor agreed to pay $370,680 in criminal and civil penalties to avoid federal prosecution for a worker’s fatal fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced September 27. Skinner Tank Company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on one count of ignoring federal safety regulations that resulted in a worker fatality in […]

OSHA Launches Enforcement Initiative for Engineered Stone

On September 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an enforcement and compliance assistance initiative aimed at silica exposures in the engineered stone fabrication and installation industries. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have identified silica dust exposure as a health hazard for workers in manufacturing, finishing, and […]

Concrete Mixer Fatality Nets $246K OSHA Fine

A 19-year-old worker in Florida suffered fatal injuries after a concrete mixer restarted while the teen tried to clean the machine’s inside. Now, Newnan, Georgia-based Foley Products Company faces $245,546 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for one willful and six serious violations, the agency announced September 20. OSHA inspectors determined that two […]

Refinery Settlement Includes Electric Lawn Equipment

On September 6, 2023, the EPA announced it reached a settlement with Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor) resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) fuels requirements at Suncor’s Commerce City, Colorado, refining operations. Suncor will pay a $160,660 civil penalty and has agreed to implement a supplemental environmental project, which requires the company to […]

OSHA Cites Texas Poultry Plant for Ergonomics Hazards

On September 18, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it cited Holmes Foods Inc., a Nixon, Texas, poultry processor, for ergonomics hazards. OSHA cited Holmes Foods for five serious safety and health violations that also included failure to provide required eye protection; not developing lockout/tagout procedures to prevent sudden machine start-ups; and failure […]

Ohio Contractor Facing $548K in OSHA Fines

A Millersburg, Ohio, roofing contractor faces $548,801 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines, the agency announced September 14. The agency cited JMH Roofing LLC with 8 willful and 2 repeat violations for again exposing workers to deadly fall hazards of up to 19 feet (ft) at 4 residential roofing jobsites in Canton, Uniontown, […]

OSHA, WHD Investigating Poultry Plant Fatality, Child Labor Violations

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Wage and Hour Division (WHD) are investigating workplace safety and child labor violations at a Hattiesburg, Mississippi, poultry plant following the death of a 16-year-old worker, the DOL announced September 11. “As federal investigators continue to try to understand how a 16-year-old died […]