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
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
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
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
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
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
Senate Bill 553, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, requires nearly all employers in the State of California to prepare a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, train employees on how to identify and avoid workplace...more
3/8/2024
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hostile Environment ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recording Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restraining Orders ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
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
3/8/2024
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Chevron Deference ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Professional Conferences ,
Retaliation ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shifting its COVID-19 isolation guidance, advising that COVID-positive individuals no longer need to isolate once they have been...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the Solicitors at the Department of Labor (DOL) only litigate civil OSHA citations, DOL has announced enhanced coordination with criminal law enforcement for employers’ representatives in fatality...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA Region V last week provided a Webinar on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) national emphasis program (“NEP”) to prevent workplace hazards in warehouses, processing...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Here we go again. The impending federal government shutdown may suspend many enforcement and consultation functions of the United States Department of Labor, including OSHA....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Senate Bill 553, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, requires nearly all employers in the State of California to prepare a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, train employees on how to identify and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The impending federal government shutdown will suspend many enforcement and consultation functions of the United States Department of Labor, including OSHA....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor has announced notice and comment rulemaking as it seeks to revise its regulations regarding who can be authorized by employees to act as their representative to accompany OSHA...more