Industry Upset By OSHA's Broad Plan To Tackle Workplace Violence With General Duty Clause

Business interests are concerned about the broad scope of OSHA's newly issued directive that calls for reliance on the OSH Act's general duty clause to enforce workplace violence protections, arguing that it is still unclear what measures employers must take to fully comply. They also cite unresolved legal issues surrounding the actions of third parties outside an employer's control. But OSHA and organized labor say a broad policy is needed because of the rampant nature of violence across many industries. After making last-minute changes to assuage states' concerns (see related story), the age