General contractors at construction sites are being held to a higher level of responsibility for coordinating the safety activities of contractors when it comes to confined spaces in what may be a little-noticed provision of a new OSHA standard.
New OSHA recordkeeping rules that went into effect this year are creating confusion among employers about the definition of an amputation and how to quickly determine if an incident that occurred after work hours is actually work-related, according to an article in Business Insurance magazine.
A federal appeals court has ruled against OSHA in a case stemming from a fatal accident involving a lathe at a manufacturing plant, saying that the agency’s interpretation of its regulations on machine guards “strains a common sense reading.”
While the overall rate of fatal workplace accidents remained steady in 2014 compared with the year before, there was a significant increase in fatalities caused by falls, slips and trips, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
While the recent joint-employer ruling by the National Labor Relations Board does not directly impact other employment laws, such as the OSH Act, it does highlight a growing movement by OSHA to hold companies responsible for the health and safety of workers supplied by staffing agencies – which can have significant consequences for employers.
Many companies find they are not always sure how to apply OSHA standards to everyday work situations. One solution: Ask OSHA for clarification.
In a significant ruling, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has tossed out a machine guarding citation issued by OSHA to an energy company.
The OSH Review Commission recently opened a new chapter in the dispute over how the OSHA statute of limitations should be interpreted.
Employees who want to pursue whistleblower-retaliation claims against employers may find it easier to do so under a new policy directive issued by OSHA.
If you want to see what a company can accomplish with a laser focus on safety, you need to look no further than National Steel City, a leading steel construction and erection company.