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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on August 10 cited Safeway Inc. with violations of the agency’s lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and other standards at the company’s dairy facility. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $339,379. The agency inspected a Denver milk packaging plant operated by Safeway after a worker lost four fingers while operating a molding […]
As part of its Safe + Sound campaign, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shared a variety of resources aimed at helping businesses put together safety and health programs. According to OSHA’s page devoted to the topic, safety and health programs help businesses do the following: Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses Improve compliance with […]
Washington State has adopted the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), a sweeping worker protection bill passed by the state legislature. The Act amends the state’s workers’ compensation and industrial health and safety statutes to provide automatic protections for certain workers and to impose new notification and reporting requirements on employers in the event of a public […]
Over the years we’ve seen a steady stream of cases involving employees who filed workers’ compensation claims after being injured away from the employer’s premises. Sometimes it was difficult to determine whether the off-site injury was compensable. Changes to Oklahoma’s laws sought to clarify the question, and two recent cases provide more answers. Driving to […]
The Nevada Legislature recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 209 requiring employers to give employees paid time off (PTO) to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Here’s how the new law works and what you will need to know. Key Facts About New Nevada Law Who’s covered. SB 209 applies to all private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada. It doesn’t apply […]
The U.S. Department of Labor encourages the nation’s employers to commit to workplace safety and health and join its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in observing Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 9-15, 2021. A nationwide event that recognizes the successes of workplace safety and health programs, Safe + Sound Week also offers information and ideas on […]
On June 29, 2021, the EPA published a final rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the TSCA Health and Safety Data reporting rule, requiring manufacturers (including importers) of 50 specified chemical substances to report certain lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies to the EPA. “Section 8(d) of the Toxic […]
On July 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) called for stakeholder input on updating its mechanical power press standard (29 CFR §1910.217). The OSHA standard, originally issued in 1971, was based on the 1971 edition of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) industry consensus standard for mechanical power presses (ANSI B11.1), which has […]
The entire Pacific Northwest region has suffered through a recent period of unprecedentedly high temperatures, even for summer. In response, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon-OSHA) has adopted emergency heat safety rules that apply whenever employees must work when the heat index is 80 degrees or more. What Is Heat Index? The heat […]
I don’t have to tell you that worker safety is a big deal—like a $161.5 billion big deal (the total cost of worker injuries, according to recent available data). Or, another way to look at it is $1,100 per worker or $39,000 per medically consulted injury. As I said, I don’t have to tell you […]