OSHA’s new crane operator certification rules will be delayed and will not take effect until November 2018 under a proposed rule published by OSHA on August 30th in the Federal Register. The primary purpose may be for OSHA to reconsider the rule’s requirements.
OSHA
Data security breach at OSHA? False alarm – this time.
By Erik Dullea & Matt Diehr on
Posted in OSHA
In late June, we notified our readers that OSHA had again delayed the compliance date for electronically submitting injury and illness reports. Notwithstanding the ongoing delays, this regulation has charitably been described as a political hot potato.
Court sets date for silica rule oral argument
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
The fate of OSHA’s 2016 silica rule is one step closer to consideration by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In recent days, the Court said it will hear oral arguments about the validity of the silica rule on September 26th at 9:00 am.
Staying cool for safety
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in Compliance tips, OSHA
by Kaileigh Fagan
As we continue steaming into the end of summer, here is part two of our summer safety series. With summer temperatures still affecting many parts of the country, it is important to remember OSHA’s guidance on protecting workers from the dangerous effects of extreme heat.
Older workers have higher workplace death rate, says AP study
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in Compliance tips, OSHA
Are older workers more likely to die in workplace accidents? A research fellow studying aging and workforce issues with the Associated Press published an analysis yesterday, reporting that “[o]lder people are dying on the job at a higher rate than workers overall, even as the rate of workplace fatalities decreases.”
Trump Administration Reduces Plans for New Rules From the OSHA Agenda
By Donna Pryor on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
Even without a new Assistant Secretary for OSHA, the Trump Administration has recently deleted numerous Obama-era OSHA plans for workplace safety related rules. Rules that administration officials have said they plan to overhaul or scale back include: regulations strengthening limits to exposure to beryllium, addressing workplace safety violation in healthcare, and addressing combustible dust and…
Who’s coming to the (OSHA) inspection party? Just folks on the inside.
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in Enforcement updates, OSHA
by Mike Horowitz
For most of the last four years, OSHA has insisted that a union representative who is not your employee can participate in OSHA inspections at your work site. This spring, that changed when OSHA finally reversed this much-criticized policy.
Could summer mean itchy, swelling enforcement?
Posted on
Posted in Compliance tips, OSHA
by Henry Chajet and Kaileigh Fagan
With the summer in full swing, employers should remember that the season’s heat and bugs are not just uncomfortable nuisances. They can easily become legal liabilities. In this two-part series, we’ll walk through the hazards and preventive guidance you need to protect your workers and your safety record.
Acosta testimony emphasizes OSHA compliance assistance
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in Enforcement updates, OSHA
In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta emphasized OSHA’s future focus on compliance assistance to employers and said OSHA had abandoned Obama-era policies on “joint employers.”
OSHA further delays electronic reporting
By Brad Hiles on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
This morning, OSHA announced another planned delay in the deadline for electronic reporting of injury and illness data from July 1st to December 1, 2017.