Month: September 2015
Senators Want OSHA To Rescind OSHA Policies Issued As Guidance, Use Rulemaking Instead
A key Senate panel on government oversight will formally request that OSHA rescind several guidance documents that have far-reaching implications for the agency’s rule designed to prevent chemical disasters, and then go back to the drawing board with a public rulemaking process, Sen. James Lankford…
OSHA Allows 30 More Days To Comment On ‘Volks’ Rule, Agreeing In Part To Industry Request
OSHA has decided to extend by 30 days the time period to comment on a planned rule designed to overcome a court decision holding that OSHA’s statute of limitations applies to the discrete occurrence of an injury or illness not being properly recorded, even if…
OSHA Obtains Civil Contempt Order, Alleging ‘Serial’ Violator Refuses To Pay Fines
OSHA has successfully pursued a civil contempt order against a small Maine construction employer over his alleged refusal to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in OSH Act fines, as the agency comes under pressure to take the toughest enforcement actions possible against what safety…
OSHA Steps Up Ergo, Medical Oversight At Poultry Plants With Hazard Alerts, Citations
OSHA strongly signaled its continued intent to stem ergonomics problems at poultry plants using every angle possible — inspections, fines and warnings to the industry — most recently by issuing citations against a Delaware chicken supplier and then following up months later with a series…
Solicitor’s Office: ‘Economic Realities’ Key OSHA Test Of Joint Employer Status
Labor Department lawyers have drafted a policy for OSHA to determine whether a joint employer relationship exists between franchisors and franchisees that includes several key tests, including an analysis of “economic realities,” according to an internal document obtained by Inside OSHA Online. The draft policy…