Enforcement

OSHA is strengthening enforcement and outreach “to better protect heat-exposed workers” as part of a larger “multi-prong” initiative from the Biden administration to combat heat-related illness, after worker-safety and environmental groups pressed the White House for action following this summer’s record-setting heat waves.

OSHA’s New England Region I is stepping up enforcement targeting “tree trimming and removal, landscaping and site preparation” work, saying the 31 reported worker deaths in those sectors since 2016 are “alarming and unacceptable” to the point where they warrant a formal regional emphasis program (REP).

Provisions in the House’s $3.5 trillion spending bill would raise the statutory penalties for OSH Act violations by a factor of 10, up to a minimum of $50,000 and maximum of $700,000 -- setting the stage for Democrats to pass a key element of their a long-running push for broader reforms to the law.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, OSHA is pledging to craft pilot programs with Mexico that will allow its consulates to file safety complaints and share feedback on behalf of Mexican nationals working in the United States, as part of a newly announced bilateral agreement to improve the well-being of Mexican workers under U.S. jurisdiction.

A new Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) raises the already-high bar OSHA must clear to cite employers for a willful violation of its noise exposure standard, holding that the agency must go beyond showing that an employer had a heightened awareness of the standard.

OSHA’s nationwide suicide-prevention training initiative for the construction sector could build a record to support for formal guidance or even enforcement action, several employers’ attorneys tell Inside OSHA, though they say the agency is likely to face an uphill battle if it does pursue that path.

OSHA is launching a novel nationwide suicide-prevention training initiative for the construction sector, expanding on a 2020 regional effort based in part on a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found the industry’s suicide rate was four times higher than that of the general population.

OSHA’s new general-industry guidance tightening recommendations for face coverings in the workplace is drawing a mixed response from employers’ attorneys, with some praising the agency for aligning its policy with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) while others say the precise scope of the guide is still unclear.

OSHA is seeking a $1.3 million fine against a Massachusetts contractor over a Feb. 24 accident that killed two workers, in the latest step of its push to bolster enforcement against repeat, willful and severe violations of safety standards.

Employers’ attorneys say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new move to tighten its COVID-19 guidance following a wave of infections by the “Delta” virus variant has created fresh uncertainty on whether vaccinated workers should be required to wear face coverings, and are pushing OSHA to provide an answer.