By Amanda R. Strainis-Walker and Eric J. Conn With the dog days of summer around the corner, OSHA just put out a press release reminding employers with outside workplaces about OSHA’s focus on the hazards of working in high heat. The press release reinvigorates OSHA’s heat-related illness campaign that began leading into last summer, when… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Small Employers
Subscribe to Small Employers RSS FeedEHS Today Article: HazCom Gets a Facelift
Last week, EHS Today Magazine ran our article in which we delve into more detail about OSHA’s amended Hazard Communication Rule (“HazCom”), and the integration of the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (“GHS”). Check out the full article here, in which we detailed 10 important things employers need to know about… Continue Reading
Grain Journal Features OSHA’s Enforcement Efforts in the Grain Industry
Late last year, I delivered a keynote address to the National Grain & Feed Association’s (NGFA) annual Country Elevator Conference regarding: Why it is important for grain handlers to prepare now for an OSHA inspection; What to do now to prepare for an OSHA inspection; and How best to manage an OSHA inspection once it… Continue Reading
Workplace Violence Policies and Background Checks Are Essential Components of a Prevention Plan
By Kara M. Maciel Sadly, workplace violence continues to be a topic that challenges many organizations. Indeed, as the news reports continue to remind us, employees and non-employees often take out their aggression and violent acts within the workplace. As the recent attacks at hospitals in Pittsburgh and in Washington, D.C. demonstrate, there remains a… Continue Reading
OSHA Launches New Nursing Home National Emphasis Program
By Julia E. Loyd and Eric J. Conn Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) launched a new National Emphasis Program targeting Nursing Homes and Residential Care facilities (“Nursing Home NEP”). In an accompanying Press Release, OSHA announced that the Nursing Home NEP aims to protect workers from safety… Continue Reading
GHS & HazCom: 10 Things Employers Must Know About OSHA’s New Hazard Communication Standard
By Eric J. Conn and Casey M. Cosentino Following a March 20, 2012 Press Release, on March 26, 2012, OSHA issued its much anticipated final Hazard Communication Rule (“HazCom”), which integrates the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (“GHS”) into OSHA’s old Hazard Communication Standard (“HazCom” or “HCS”). The new HazCom Standard… Continue Reading
Managing an OSHA Inspection: Answers to 5 Frequently Asked Questions
By Eric J. Conn Below is a set of important questions that we are frequently asked by clients when OSHA unexpectedly shows up at their doorsteps. These questions and many more are also addressed in our OSHA Inspection Checklist desk reference guide. * * * * * * * … Continue Reading
Enterprise Enforcement: OSHA’s Attack on Employers with Multiple Locations
By Alexis M. Downs and Eric J. Conn Companies that operate multiple facilities in different locations, such as national retail stores, grocery chains, manufacturers, and hotel chains, need to be aware of three new OSHA enforcement trends with enterprise-wide consequences: A rise in follow-up inspections and Repeat violations at sister facilities within a corporate family;… Continue Reading
Text Free Zone: OSHA’s Distracted Driving Initiative Kicks Into Gear
By Casey M. Cosentino and Eric J. Conn “Texting while driving” is an epidemic in America, which has prompted forty-two states and the District of Columbia to ban (completely or partially) this conduct for drivers. Here’s a map of the U.S. states that have enacted some ban on texting while driving. Studies suggest that texting while driving distracts… Continue Reading
OSHA Finally Releases Its Watered-Down Fall 2011 Regulatory Agenda
By Paul H. Burmeister and Eric J. Conn At the end of January 2012, OSHA finally released its Fall 2011 regulatory agenda, which is intended to be an overview of what OSHA plans to accomplish in the next few months. The agenda includes updates about the status of several major OSHA rulemaking efforts. Below is… Continue Reading
The So-Called “Rule of 10″: A Myth about OSHA’s Lack of Jurisdiction Over Small Employers
By Eric J. Conn and Amanda R. Strainis-Walker One of the questions we are most frequently asked by small employers is about the so-called “Rule of 10″; i.e., the long-perpetuated myth that OSHA does not have jurisdiction over employers or workplaces with fewer than 10 employees. This is a commonly misunderstood policy, so let’s set the record straight…. Continue Reading
Hotel Housekeepers File OSHA Complaints Nationwide
By Jay P. Krupin and Kara M. Maciel Last week, on November 9, 2010, housekeepers employed by Hyatt Hotels filed complaints with OSHA alleging injuries sustained on the job. The complaints were filed in eight cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, San Antonio, Honolulu and Indianapolis. Similar OSHA actions may… Continue Reading