Category: Regulations

September 5, 2023

The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Federal OSHA) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that may cause serious injury or death. This clause is often used by OSHA to enforce fall […]

August 31, 2023

DOL’s announcement has been months in the making. During a June 2021 congressional hearing, former Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told lawmakers the department was reviewing its overtime regulations, and the agency later confirmed a review shortly afterward. The agency […]

August 31, 2023

While ABC said it will review the proposed rule and assess options for a legal challenge, unions came out in its favor. “NABTU supports DOL and OSHA ensuring construction workers have safe workplaces including ensuring that our union representatives, who […]

August 16, 2023

Construction businesses have significant safety responsibilities. Not only do companies have to ensure that finished buildings are suitable for safe use, but also that every step along the way to project completion includes hazard protection procedures. This can be challenging, […]

July 21, 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify the personal protective equipment standard for the construction industry. The current standard does not state clearly that PPE must fit each affected employee properly, which the […]

July 17, 2023

Massive heat waves have hit large swaths of the U.S. this summer, breaking records for high temperatures across the country. And it’s about to get worse. About 21% of U.S. residents live in areas where heat levels could become dangerously […]

July 6, 2023

More than 5,000 workers sustained a fatal injury in American workplaces in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this figure is equal to one person every 101 minutes. While the number of fatal injuries has increased compared […]

May 3, 2023

OSHA has begun a National Emphasis Program to prevent falls, the leading cause of fatal workplace injuries and the violation the agency cites most frequently in construction industry inspections. The emphasis program will focus on reducing fall-related injuries and fatalities […]

May 1, 2023

The Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is undertaking a nationwide effort to prevent falls in construction and all other industries. Falls are responsible for more worksite deaths than any other type of accident. In announcing the National […]

April 11, 2023

OSHA plans to focus on roads, bridges, airports, rail, ports and power and water systems in the coming years, Ketcham said at an American Bar Association meeting in March. OSHA will be also be promoting safety helmets and suicide prevention, […]

March 21, 2023

Tutor Perini Corp., one of the largest contractors in the country, was cited 244 times for health and safety violations on its jobsites over the past decade — far more than any commercial or residential builder — and that doesn’t […]

March 2, 2023

Under the new rule, repeat citations can be issued for incidents surrounding lockout/tagout, machine guarding, permit-required confined spaces, respiratory protection, falls, trenching and for cases with other-than-serious violations specific to recordkeeping. OSHA’s rule change is designed to crack down on […]

February 22, 2023

The attorney general’s office alleged that GTA Co. left the excavated asbestos on the ground and in open dumpsters. The complaint also alleged that the contractor arranged for transport of the waste it failed to contain from the Everett and […]

February 14, 2023

Key provisions: The employer must provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards. The program shall enable each employee to recognize the hazards of falling and shall train each employee in the procedures to […]

February 14, 2023

1926.451(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4), (a)(5) and (g), each scaffold and scaffold component shall be capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least 4 times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to […]

February 13, 2023

Each year OSHA continues to cite the same safety violations, which stresses the importance of continuing to comply with workplace safety standards. Workplace hazards are not likely to be completely eliminated, but following best practices and guidance can help it’s […]

January 27, 2023

Under the new legislation, a contractor is guilty of criminal corporate liability for the death or injury of a worker when it negligently, recklessly, intentionally or knowingly causes the death or serious physical injury of its employees while they are […]

December 13, 2022

No one wants an unsafe workplace, but it’s easy for employees to forget how important things like hard hats, hand protection and reflective gear can be. That’s especially true if they find the equipment or clothing hot, if it limits […]

December 8, 2022

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2020 that 1,030 workers died in confined space incidents from 2011 to 2018, Of those, 61 died in sewers, manholes and storm drains. Employers must test confined spaces in pre-entry planning to find […]

November 17, 2022

A Biden administration proposal focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions among federal contractors has raised the ire of some construction groups, who worry that firms that fail to properly comply could be barred from bidding on federal projects. The Federal […]