The Law Office of Adele L. Abrams, P.C.

Safety Law Blog

Josh Schultz, Esq.

Apr 1, 20222 min read

California Employers Oppose New Bill Allowing Employees to Leave Workplace if They "Feel Unsafe"

A proposed California law, Senate Bill 1044, would greatly lower the threshold for employees to leave their workplace without discipline...

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Diana Schroeher, Esq.

Mar 30, 20223 min read

Seventh Circuit Holds that Applicant’s Seizure Disorder is a "Direct Threat"

On February 11, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that an applicant’s Seizure Disorder (Epilepsy) would pose...

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Michael Peelish, Esq.

Mar 30, 20224 min read

Data Suggests Mine Operators Need to Focus on Miner’s Mental Health

Mine operators are good at paying attention to data. Operators review their mine's tons or yards per shift, maintenance downtime, hours...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 30, 20222 min read

SEC Gets Active on Environmental, Social & Governance Disclosures

The federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on March 21, 2022, that it is launching a landmark proposal that would...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 30, 20222 min read

Alcohol Caused More Deaths than COVID in 2020

A new federal study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found a 25.5 percent increase in alcohol-related deaths in...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 30, 20223 min read

Court Reinstates Trump Administration's “Independent Contractor Rule”

Employers who try to determine whether a worker should be classified as an “employee” or as an “independent contractor” have more changes...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 30, 20221 min read

VOSH C-19 Rule Revoked!

Virginia’s Safety and Health Codes Board voted on March 21, 2022, to revoke the state OSHA agency’s COVID-19 standard covering all...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 28, 20221 min read

OSHA Set to Publish Proposed Changes to E-Recordkeeping

OSHA’s proposed rule modifying electronic recordkeeping requirements will appear in the 3/30/22 Federal Register, with a 60-day comment...

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OSHA Reboots Rulemaking Process for COVID-19 Final Rule

Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 22, 20222 min read

OSHA Reboots Rulemaking Process for COVID-19 Final Rule

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reopened the Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)/proposed rule for...

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Josh Schultz, Esq.

Mar 7, 20221 min read

National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Promises Updated OSHA Guidance

On March 2, the Biden Administration released a National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, committing OSHA to update the Agency's COVID-19...

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Mar 7, 20221 min read

MSHA Announces New Initiative Targeting Training

With an increase in fatalities and injuries in 2022, MSHA has announced a new safety campaign, titled, "Take Time, Save Lives." The...

39 views0 comments

Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 7, 20225 min read

Forklifts & Worker Safety: OSHA Changes Are Coming!

More than 100 persons per year die in forklift accidents on the job, representing about a 30 percent increase over the past decade. ...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Mar 7, 20222 min read

With E-Recordkeeing Changes Pending, OSHA Updates Guidance on Commuter Injuries

Even as OSHA works on updating its 2016 E-recordkeeping rule for the second time, the agency is also clarifying via two Letters of...

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Michael Peelish, Esq.

Mar 1, 20222 min read

Training that Reaches the “Safety Soul”

This time of year, there is a lot of MSHA annual refresher training occurring, especially in the colder regions of the country. As...

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Gary Visscher, Esq.

Feb 21, 20222 min read

Court: PPE Violation Requires Proof of Industry Custom or Actual Knowledge of a Violation

Courts have held that for OSHA to prove a violation of a general, or performance, standard, OSHA must show that the employer failed to...

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Gary Visscher, Esq.

Feb 21, 20224 min read

Court: Responsibility on Small Business for Lack of Knowledge of OSHA Citation

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit considered the sufficiency of service of an OSHA citation and...

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Gary Visscher, Esq.

Feb 15, 20226 min read

Fourth Circuit Attempts to Clarify Law on Constructive Knowledge/Employee Misconduct

Thirty-five years ago, then-Supreme Court Justice White, writing a dissent to the Court’s denial of a petition for certiorari, described...

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Feb 15, 20221 min read

Webinar "MSHA 101: What Do You Mean I'm A Miner?"

Adele Abrams speaks on foundational MSHA law, including MSHA/OSHA jurisdiction, citation basics, training, and recordkeeping. Take a...

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Jan 13, 20222 min read

Supreme Court Halts OSHA Vaccine ETS

The Supreme Court released a decision today granting a stay of OSHA's COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS, meaning businesses will not...

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Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP

Jan 13, 20221 min read

OSHA/MSHA Penalties to Increase on January 15

OSHA Serious/OTS: increase from $13,653 to $14,502 Repeat/Willful: increase from $136,532 to $145,027 MSHA Regular Assessments now range...

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