The final day of the ABA Workplace and Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee Midwinter Meeting began with a panel discussion on mental health, behavioral issues, and workplace violence. Many employers and practitioners...more
This week we are attending the ABA Occupational Safety and Health Law Meeting in Rancho Mirage, California. The meeting includes representatives from management, labor, and safety professionals, some who previously worked in...more
This week we are attending the ABA Occupational Safety and Health Law Meeting in Rancho Mirage, California. The meeting includes representatives from management, labor, and safety professionals, some who previously worked in...more
On February 11, 2025, President Trump nominated David Keeling as Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, pending Senate confirmation. Keeling, with extensive experience in occupational safety, is expected to adopt a...more
2/20/2025
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Safety
A workplace violence prevention law passed by the New York State legislature in June 2024 and signed into law by the Governor in September 2024 with certain provisions set to take effect in March 2025 has been amended....more
2/6/2025
/ Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Final Rules ,
Hospitality Industry ,
New Legislation ,
NYDOL ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retail Workers ,
Retailers ,
Risk Management ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
As of February 3, 2025, California’s COVID-19-specific workplace regulations will expire, though employers must still track COVID-19 cases until February 3, 2026. Cal/OSHA can enforce COVID-19 as a workplace hazard under the...more
The State of Washington is proposing a new workplace safety rule that allows employees to designate a non-employee third-party representative—including unrelated union activists—during workplace safety inspections conducted...more
1/29/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Employee Rights ,
Fifth Amendment ,
Final Rules ,
Fourth Amendment ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Representatives ,
Unions ,
Washington ,
Workplace Safety
On December 21, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the State’s new Worker Injury Reduction Program into law, which requires covered employers to establish a program to identify and minimize the risks of...more
1/28/2025
/ Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Effective yesterday, the third and final update to USEPA's e-Manifest rules require all Large Quantity Generators (LQGs) and Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) to register in the e-Manifest module, replacing hard paper copies....more
OSHA enforces almost 1,000 standards and tens of thousands of individual regulations related to General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and other industries. Once again, OSHA released its preliminary data for the top ten...more
1/22/2025
/ Bodily Injury ,
Construction Project ,
Construction Workers ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Maritime Transport ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Safety Standards ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) have published their 2025 increases to civil penalties....more
1/14/2025
/ CERCLA ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
RCRA ,
Statutory Violations ,
USEPA ,
Workplace Safety
Ongoing wildfires in Southern California trigger Cal/OSHA regulations that require employers to train and protect employees from wildfire smoke. The regulation applies to most outdoor workplaces, requiring employers to...more
1/10/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Environmental Policies ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: A second Trump administration is likely to bring sweeping changes to environmental regulatory and enforcement agendas. During the first Trump term, his administration focused on significant deregulation in...more
12/24/2024
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Clean Water Act ,
Deregulation ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trump Administration
Continuing its assault on commonly used chemicals that pose risks to human health, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) issued (but has not yet published in the Federal Register) bans on...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA recently unveiled an online tool allowing the public to access severe injury reports, injury trends over time, geographic trends, and trends specific to each employer....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A new bill passed by the New York State legislature in June 2024, and signed into law by the Governor in September 2024, will mandate that retail employers install panic buttons in the workplace, establish...more
9/12/2024
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Retail Market ,
Retail Workers ,
Retailers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
Seyfarth Synopsis: Following California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan regulation becoming effective, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) recently published its draft Workplace...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A new rulemaking is underway at the California Department of Industrial Relations that will allow Cal/OSHA to cite employers for “enterprise-wide and egregious” violations, implementing a 2021 law signed by...more
7/30/2024
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Labor Code ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statutory Violations ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 24, 2024, Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule was approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) and filed with the Secretary of State (SOS), rendering the rule effective immediately....more
On June 20, 2024, the first day of summer, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board turned the heat up on employers and unanimously voted to approve Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule. Employers should be prepared to comply with the rule as...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Expanding a law enacted in 2022, New York’s legislature passed another bill that seeks to limit warehouse-related injuries by requiring employers to establish and implement an injury reduction program,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Cal/OSHA Standards Board unanimously voted to approve Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule at the June 20, 2024 Standards Board meeting. Employers should be prepared to comply within the next 30-60 days....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A new bill passed by the New York State legislature, and awaiting the Governor’s signature, would mandate that retail employers install panic buttons in the workplace, establish a “workplace violence...more
6/12/2024
/ Labor Reform ,
New York ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retail Market ,
Retail Workers ,
Retailers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board was ready to vote on Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule at the March 21, 2024 Standards Board meeting, but at the 11th hour, the Board was ordered to cancel its scheduled vote....more
This week we are attending the ABA Occupational Safety and Health Law Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The meeting includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Review Commission, the MSHA Review...more
3/11/2024
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Marijuana ,
Mental Health ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Professional Conferences ,
Workplace Safety