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

Infographic: OSHA Top 10 in FY 2023

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) construction industry fall protection standard was the agency’s most frequently cited standard for the 13th straight year, the agency announced October 24 at the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in New Orleans. Eric Harbin, OSHA’s Region 6 (Dallas) administrator, unveiled preliminary data for the agency’s […]

OSHA, NLRB Sign Whistleblower Enforcement Agreement

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) signed an agreement outlining procedures for information-sharing, referrals, training, and outreach to bolster federal antiretaliation protections and strengthen the agencies’ partnership, OSHA and the NLRB announced October 31. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) enables OSHA and the Board to cooperate in […]

District Judge Rules to Certify PFAS Class Action Against DuPont and Chemours

In the ongoing battle against per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination, U.S. District Judge James Dever of the Eastern District of North Carolina certified two classes of plaintiffs in a lawsuit claiming Chemours Co. and DuPont discharged wastewater containing PFAS and GenX chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals,” into the Cape Fear River, exposing as […]

OSHA’s Big-Dollar General Industry Enforcement

Do you know which standards the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites most often? Do you know which ones it enforces so vigorously that it issues instance-by-instance citations? At the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in New Orleans last week, OSHA’s Region 6 (Dallas) administrator, Eric Harbin, announced the agency’s Top […]

Florida Grocer Cited in Employee’s Fatal Fall

Florida grocer Kissimmee Meat & Produce Inc. faces $95,315 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following a 65-year-old clerk’s fatal fall from a defective ladder, the agency announced October 27. OSHA cited the employer for 11 serious safety violations. OSHA inspectors found that the employee fell about 9 feet when a ladder rolled […]

OSHA: Tank Service Firm Failed to Protect Workers from Toxic Gas

Trimac Transportation Inc., operating as National Tank Services, faces $399,349 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after two employees suffered injuries from exposure to hydrogen sulfide, the agency announced October 23. OSHA cited the company with nine health violations, including two willful, three repeat, and four serious.   The flammable, highly toxic colorless gas […]

OSHA Officials Discuss Rulemaking Efforts, Focus on Heat Illness

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is busy on several rulemaking fronts, but it’s devoting considerable resources to heat illness prevention, according to OSHA officials speaking at the NSC Safety Congress and Expo in New Orleans this week. Andrew Levinson, director, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, said OSHA’s regulatory agenda includes an update […]

Archer Daniels Midland Cited in Grain Elevator Explosion

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited feed and food processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) following the agency’s investigation into an explosion at ADM’s West Plant in Decatur, Illinois, that resulted in the hospitalization of three employees with burns and other injuries and extensive damage to the grain elevator, OSHA announced October 18. The […]

Idaho Property Owner Fined $88,000 for Asbestos Violations

The EPA announced that Jens Schkade of Grand View, Idaho, has agreed to pay an $88,749 penalty over violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) related to the safe handling and disposal of asbestos. According to the consent decree, on October 5, 2021, Schkade wrecked a commercial building called the Square Deal Store, located at […]

Massachusetts Manufacturer Cited for Beryllium Exposures

IBC Engineered Materials Inc., a Wilmington, Massachusetts, manufacturer, overexposed employees to airborne concentrations of beryllium, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced October 11. IBC, which does business as IBC Advanced Alloys Inc., was cited for 11 serious violations and 1 other-than-serious violation for the hazardous conditions and faces proposed penalties totaling $69,251. Employees […]