Employees are more willing to report their employers for fraud, corruption and general unsafe workplace conditions according to data from Department of Labor. The data shows the number of whistle blower cases per year has steadily increased the past five years, with 2011 on pace to hit nearly 2,400 filings or nearly more than 300 [...]

OSHA has rescinded a January 2009 letter of interpretation regarding the use of a particular shock-absorbing lanyard in aerial work platforms. The original letter of interpretation stated because of the requirement of certain lanyards to have an anchor point at a height of 18.5 feet, their usage would likely not comply with OSHA standards when [...]

  Workplace violence is one of the most significant detriments to the American workplaces costing businesses more than $70 billion a year and leading to the loss of about 600 lives. Despite these shocking numbers the vast majority of companies have no program in place to deal with workplace violence. This article will provide the [...]

On August 25, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board issued a final rule requiring employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The new requirement in our Federal Labor Law Poster is for all private-sector employers subject to the National Labor Relations Act who will be required to post by [...]

OSHA has issued a directive on Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Incidents of Workplace Violence. The directive establishes uniform procedures for OSHA field staff for responding to incidents and complaints of workplace violence and conducting inspections in industries considered vulnerable to workplace violence, such as healthcare and social service settings, and late-night retail establishments. Workplace [...]

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board recently voted to revise the Heat Illness Prevention Standard. Although labor advocates argued the proposed revisions were not comprehensive enough, DOSH Chief Len Welsh said that it was “necessary and [the right] time” to adopt the revisions. Under the revisions, employers must provide shade to at least 25% of the employees [...]

A recently released study on rates of business in non-compliance of Cal/OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program standard show a large portion of employers are failing to meet the standard. The study, by Rand Corp. was commissioned by a body known as the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) in advance of [...]

Arizona updated its poster about work exposure to MRSA, Spinal Meningitis and Tuberculosis. The changes include more time for an employee to report a claim to contracting MRSA, Spinal Meningitis, or Tuberculosis (TB) at work. The time limit to report a possible exposure is increased to 30 calendar days from the previous 10. An employee [...]

The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety (ADOSH) is warning companies to look out for a man claiming he is an OSHA inspector. According to ADOSH a man claiming to be an OSHA inspector is visiting Phoenix-area businesses and threatening the owner with citations. The man then offers to wave the fines for a check or [...]

“Oh I’m a general contractor so it’s the subcontractor’s responsibility.” “I’m a subcontractor so it’s the general contractor’s responsibility.” One of the common myths involving a general and subcontractor is safety is the other person’s responsibility. OSHA has decided everybody is responsible for safety. If you have a jobsite you have to be compliant with [...]