Need a concise briefing on how to manage your workplace and tricky employment issues in the face of COVID-19? Join us this Friday for a complimentary 60-minute webinar.
Tools for employers on COVID-19 from OSHA and our team
All of us are being inundated by rapidly changing news and tons of advice about COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. For those whose job it is to keep workplaces safe and healthy, here are two key resources to cut through the clutter.
Coronavirus at work: Yes, one business meeting can make a difference.
As companies adopt response plans to protect against coronavirus, some employees may push back, wondering if skipping that next in-person meeting could really make a difference. Here are a couple stories showing that one meeting can matter (and also that your company can beat the virus with an aggressive, thoughtful response).
Major MSHA reorg: New map shows three enforcement regions
As part of its “Blurring the Lines” initiative, MSHA is now implementing plans to dramatically change its internal organization for enforcement and has released a map showing the new hierarchy. Before, individual coal and metal/non-metal districts reported directly to a coal or metal/non-metal administrator at headquarters in Arlington. Now, MSHA will divide the country into three regions, with each district (whether coal or metal/non-metal) reporting to a single regional administrator.
Coronavirus is not for everyone: What should employers do?
As cable news hysteria continues to spread far faster than the novel coronavirus itself, government agencies are issuing alerts, and many employers are wondering what – if anything – they should be doing to protect their workers. What should your company do?
2020 Hindsight
With fatalities at record lows, how can MSHA take a different approach to safety in 2019? In the recent Rock Products magazine, I considered MSHA’s traditional approach to its role as regulator and offered some thoughts on new directions in the year ahead.
Time to raise OSHA and MSHA penalties!
It’s that time of year again! OSHA and MSHA penalties were automatically adjusted this month. What will safety and health enforcement cost you in 2020? Read on.
MSHA says its workplace examination rule is fully cooked and ready to serve. But is it?
MSHA’s much-contested new rule is now in effect and being enforced even while a court challenge continues. MSHA has tried to clarify the rule, but many questions remain unanswered.
Inspector General asks: Do MSHA penalties promote safety?
The Department of Labor’s Inspector General (IG) set out to answer a very specific question: Have MSHA’s civil penalties deterred unsafe mine operations? That seems like a fair question, given that MSHA has assessed more than $1 billion and collected more than $800 million in civil monetary penalties since 2000.
With a little help from my friends
When medical marijuana first started to become legal, mine operators responded in a similar way. Most mines continue to have a zero tolerance policy for both applicants and current employees for several good reasons. But, as local legalization spreads across the country, state laws and recent court decisions are creating challenges for employers.