Washington – Days after his May 10 release from federal prison after serving a one-year sentence for violating mine safety laws, former Massey Energy Co. CEO Don Blankenship sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him not to consider legislation that would strengthen punishments for mine supervisors who knowingly flout safety rules.

Indianapolis – The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017 remained largely unchanged from FY 2016, except for one new addition: Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) entered the list at No. 9 with 1,523 violations, just ahead of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,405 violations).

Washington – Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) has introduced legislation intended to protect employees of companies that perform work for the federal government.

Washington – A new database from the Center for Progressive Reform spotlights state criminal cases and advocacy campaigns against employers that have failed to comply with worker safety laws.

Olympia, WA — The owner of a Seattle construction company is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge stemming from a 2016 employee death, marking the first time a workplace fatality in Washington state has prompted a felony charge, according to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — The Department of Labor has published a final rule raising civil penalty amounts for violations 1 percent to adjust for inflation.

Santa Ana, CA — California law permits prosecutors to seek civil penalties against employers facing accusations of workplace safety violations under the California Occupational Safety and Health Act, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled.

Houston — Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard for the eighth consecutive year, the agency and Safety+Health announced Tuesday at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo.

New Orleans — OSHA can issue citations to general contractors who fail to control hazardous conditions at multi-employer worksites, even if those conditions do not directly affect their own employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled Nov. 26.

Washington — The Department of Labor has raised civil penalty amounts for violations around 1 percent to adjust for inflation, effective Jan. 23.

Indianapolis — An Indiana law scheduled to go into effect July 1 raises the maximum monetary penalty for on-the-job fatalities.

Washington — A recent audit from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General found no correlation between safe mining operations and paid civil monetary penalties issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — The Department of Labor has increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Jan. 15.

Washington — “Good-faith efforts” by employers to comply with worker safety regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into “strong consideration,” OSHA states in an April 16 memo to area offices and inspectors.

Washington — Two dozen Democratic senators have taken issue with the dollar amounts OSHA has chosen to levy against employers in its individual COVID-19-related fines.

Washington — The Department of Labor is advising OSHA and other enforcement agencies not to publish press releases – “absent extraordinary circumstances” – about fines and penalties levied against employers for worker safety and health violations “before achieving a successful outcome,” according to a DOL guidance memo obtained by The New York Times.

Washington — OSHA has published an overview of its most common COVID-19-related citations – and a reminder of employer requirements.

Washington — The Department of Labor has published a final rule intended to help its agencies, including OSHA, improve their collection efforts for citation penalties and other debts.

Washington — The Department of Labor has increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Jan. 15.

Itasca, IL — Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard for the 10th successive fiscal year, the agency announced Feb. 26 during an exclusive Safety+Health webinar.

Washington — OSHA received 15% more complaints during the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic than it did during the same period in 2019 – but conducted 50% fewer inspections, according to a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General audit report released March 2.

Pocatello, ID — A tanker testing and repair company owner has pleaded guilty to lying to OSHA and making illegal repairs to a cargo tanker, the Department of Justice announced May 20.

Washington — The House Education and Labor Committee is proposing substantial increases to OSHA fines as part of the budget resolution for fiscal year 2022, which begins Oct. 1.

Orlando, FL — For the 11th consecutive fiscal year, Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard, the agency and Safety+Health announced Oct. 12 during the 2021 NSC Safety Congress & Expo.

Washington — Legislation recently introduced by House and Senate Republicans would prohibit the federal government from imposing a fine, fee or tax on workers or employers who don’t comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Washington — Legislation introduced Oct. 20 by House and Senate Democrats would direct OSHA to publicize major workplace safety violations by widely distributing the news to local media outlets and other groups.

Pocatello, ID — The owner of a tanker testing and repair company was sentenced to one month in prison and five months of home confinement for lying to OSHA and making illegal repairs to a cargo tanker, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 19.

Washington — OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other Department of Labor agencies have increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Jan. 15.

Seattle — The owner of a West Seattle construction company has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for his role in a fatal trench collapse, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective March 21.

Madison, WI — A federal grand jury has indicted Didion Milling and six of its current and former employees on nine charges, including two willful violations of OSHA standards.

Washington — In an effort to enhance enforcement of and compliance with workplace safety standards, OSHA has expanded the criteria for placement in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program to include violations of all hazards and agency standards, OSHA announced Sept. 15.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has revised civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.

Washington — The maximum penalty for a “willful” or “repeat” OSHA violation has increased to $156,259 after the agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other Department of Labor agencies automatically increased civil penalty amounts to adjust for inflation.

In California, employers of outdoor workers must provide drinking water “as close as practicable to the areas where employees are working.”

Salem, OR — Legislation recently introduced in Oregon would significantly increase civil penalties for safety violations that contribute to worker injuries and deaths.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has updated civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Dec. 28.

Helsinki — A strong corporate culture is linked to many positive workplace safety attributes, a recent research review concludes.

Washington — OSHA has published final data on the agency’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2023.

Washington — Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission officials say a long-standing Executive Order that provides interpretation and document translation to people with limited English proficiency helps ensure federal services “reach and benefit all intended communities.”

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How should my workplace determine what first aid supplies are needed and where to place them?

Philadelphia — Two physician groups are recommending topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – with or without menthol gel – as a non-opioid “first-line therapy” for treating acute pain from non-low-back musculoskeletal injuries.

Chattanooga, TN — Long-term work disability claims for musculoskeletal issues have climbed 40% overall and 62% among men since 2010, and are especially prevalent among workers in occupations that require heavy lifting, repetitive motion or prolonged sitting, a recent analysis from insurance company Unum shows.

Melbourne, Australia — Musculoskeletal disorders cost people around the world nearly 140 million years lost to ill-health, disability or early death, results a recent study out of Australia and Iran indicate.

Silver Spring, MD — Employers in the construction industry need to promote “effective, non-opioid pain-management methods” for injured workers, a nonprofit safety group is saying after two of its recent studies found construction workers with musculoskeletal disorders are three times more likely than their co-workers to use prescription opioids.