The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a directive on December 10, 2019, updating its National Emphasis Program (NEP) focusing agency inspections on amputation hazards in manufacturing industries. These updates don’t create any new requirements for employers but focus agency enforcement on these hazards. Among other steps, the directive allows area…
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Ringing in the New Year reminds us that it’s time to finish completing the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and post the OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for the 2019 calendar year. Federal OSHA generally requires employers with more than 10 employees to keep…
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The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA) fined five employers in southern Oregon a total of $825,000 after a state fire marshal tipped off the agency about structural defects and other unsafe conditions in a building on the employers’ property. Several hemp producers in Josephine County, Oregon, used a…
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A sole proprietor of a tree-trimming business was ordered to pay $66,986 in penalties after an employee was killed by a wood chipper on his first day on the job. A crew of four workers, including the new employee, met in the morning at the owner’s house. Two of the workers were…
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In two separate cases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six-figure citations against employers that failed to plan ahead for foreseeable emergency situations. The employers have 15 business days to comply with the citations, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or challenge the findings before the Occupational…
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In the aftermath of a welder’s death on the job, an oilfield company pled guilty to a willful violation of federal safety standards requiring tanks to be cleaned before welding. The welder was 28 years old and had recently moved to North Dakota to work in the oil industry after serving in…
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Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has finally issued regulations requiring covered Washington employers to follow federal requirements and file annual injury and illness reports electronically with federal OSHA starting in 2020. As explained on OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application web page, the reporting portal will open again on January 2, 2020, and the…
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If an employer disciplines or terminates an employee on the advice of a supervisor, without knowing the supervisor is actually retaliating against the employee, the employer can still be liable, ruled the Oregon Supreme Court. Sometimes, the people with authority to make employment decisions don’t really make decisions alone, but instead rely…
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The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have created a “Heat Safety Tool” app for Android and iPhone to help workers and supervisors calculate the heat index for their worksites and determine risk levels for outdoor workers. The app also includes…
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A federal appeals court recently affirmed three citations for serious safety violations following the partial amputation of an employee’s thumb at a poultry processing plant. The company had challenged the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s citations in federal court, arguing that the injured employee engaged in unpreventable employee misconduct by violating…
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