ERIK DULLEA

Erik Dullea is a Senior Counsel with Husch Blackwell and represents clients who are responding to enforcement actions, accidents, incidents, inspections, investigations and whistleblower complaints. Erik has advised employers and associations during MSHA rulemaking initiatives, OSHA’s local and national emphasis programs, and other state and federal safety agency activities. Erik also has a thorough understanding of the labor/socioeconomic federal contract provisions that government contracts must satisfy.

What brought you into the workplace safety field? “Before becoming a lawyer, I spent 20 years as a naval aviator and commercial airline pilot. This hands-on experience with challenging (if not unforgiving) work environments gave me a deep understanding for the importance of safety and risk assessment. During those years, I learned to balance and juggle the multiple priorities an employer faces regarding safety, training and running a business. Although the equipment I operated (aircraft and ships) may be different from the equipment used by a particular employee, I can still appreciate the responsibilities and obligations that employee and supervisor face on a daily basis. In addition, my time in the Navy and with the airlines gave me the chance to navigate through government bureaucracies from the inside and outside. This allows me to understand why an agency or inspector may view a situation a certain way, but then explain to the agency why an employer’s view of the same issue can be from a different angle and still improve workplace safety.”

Outside of the legal field, Erik remains heavily involved in the military reserves. He currently holds the rank of Navy Captain, and is the commanding officer of a multi-service unit in Minneapolis, MN comprised of 105 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.

ERIK EISENMANN

Erik Eisenmann is a business lawyer and partner at Husch Blackwell who represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, from counseling to litigation. He frequently defends clients throughout the country that are under investigation by, or have received citations from, OSHA and MSHA.

What’s Erik’s favorite success story? “I was part of a team that convinced OSHA to completely dismiss a multi-million dollar case against one of the nation’s largest producers of animal feed and veterinary pharmaceuticals. In that case, OSHA attempted to use the general duty clause to issue citations against my client for alleged combustible dust hazards. This was OSHA’s first attempt to do this in my client’s industry, and complying with OSHA’s proposed remediation would have cost more than $10 million, with substantial modifications to facilities across the country. I was able to identify the world’s foremost expert on combustible dust in the dairy industry (who happened to live in New Zealand), and OSHA ultimately dismissed its case once they determined that our expert was correct that there was no material hazard.”

When he’s not in the office, Erik enjoys playing his French Horn in local community bands, and (weather permitting) riding his Harley Davidson around Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

BRIAN HENDRIX

Brian, a member of Husch Blackwell’s Energy & Natural Resources group, advises clients on environmental, health and safety law, with a focus on litigation, incident investigations, enforcement defense and regulatory compliance counseling. He has extensive experience with federal and state agencies and has represented numerous clients in manufacturing, natural resource production and service-related industries.

BRAD HILES

Serving businesses for 36 years, Brad has a national practice in the areas of OSHA/MSHA defense, labor and environmental law. He has developed a reputation for rapid, in-person responses to workplace fatalities or catastrophes during government investigations. He is commonly called upon to “triage” OSHA and MSHA citations within 24 hours to enable clients to formulate settlement strategies. Brad has represented employers in 33 OSHA investigations involving fatalities.

DONNA PRYOR

Donna Pryor is a partner in Husch Blackwell’s Energy and Natural Resources business unit.  Donna advises clients on crisis management, responding to regulatory agency (OSHA/MSHA) inspections and investigations, citations, and whistleblower investigations, among other legal and regulatory challenges.

What does Donna enjoy most about her work?  “I really enjoy working with our clients.  Our clients are salt of the earth people.  Getting to know our clients and supporting them in challenging times has been a great joy for me.   We truly have a team effort when it comes to solving problems together, where we learn what really matters to the company, and how we can get the best outcome with the least disruption to everyone’s regular responsibilities.  Also, our work brings us to remote parts of the country where we get to see beautiful landscapes and enjoy great food trucks.”

When Donna is not working on clients’ safety matters, she is with her husband and two small children, on a bike ride, in the mountains, or some other Colorado adventure.

AMY WACHS

Amy Wachs is a partner in the St. Louis office of Husch Blackwell with over 25 years of experience in counseling businesses on health & safety and environmental regulations. She routinely counsels clients with ongoing OSHA inspections, accident investigations and OSHA citations, as well as providing detailed analyses of the applicability of the OSHA regulations to specific manufacturing and other situations.

Well-versed in general safety matters, Amy’s particular expertise is in regulations pertaining to hazardous materials, including the OSHA process safety management (PSM) standard and the similar EPA risk management program. Amy also has extensive experience in dealing with the multiple facets of a chemical emergency, including release reporting, spill cleanup, injury reporting, incident investigation, public information and agency follow-up.

What does Amy enjoy most about her work? “I enjoy getting to know my clients and how their businesses operate. OSHA regulations can be pervasive. I particularly like digging deeply into the rules to come up with practical, implementable solutions for a particular business. I’m never satisfied with saying you ‘can’t’ do something. I always look for a solution.”