The recently drafted Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010 (MSHA) began as a response to the recent multi-fatality accident at a Massey Energy Co. mine in West Virginia. It has now become a vehicle for passage of a much wider range of reforms to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. As proposed, […]
OSHA
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS
INTRODUCTION Unknown or undisclosed hazardous materials or substances can have catastrophic financial and schedule impacts if they are discovered at a construction site. The financial impacts arise from extremely expensive remedial actions mandated by various regulatory agencies whenever hazardous materials are discovered or spilled. The schedule impacts arise from the disruption to the planned construction […]
CRANE OPERATOR RE-QUALIFICATION NOT REQUIRED BY OSHA
In an interpretation letter released January 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that while crane operators must pass a practical examination to operate cranes, they do not have to be re-qualified under current federal standards. Current federal standards require crane operators to meet the requirements prescribed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) […]
FALSIFYING SAFETY REPORTS DOES NOT PAY
A Tennessee Valley Authority contractor recently agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle charges it falsified safety records and failed to maintain required safety logs. The contractor’s actions (or lack of action) was apparently driven by its effort to earn safety related performance-based fees under its $1 billion contract with the TVA. In addition to […]
TOUGHER INSPECTIONS, HIGHER FINES EXPECTED IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Labor and business sources familiar with OSHA have predicted tougher OSHA inspections and higher fines under President-elect Obama. Cooperative programs have historically been less of an interest to Democratic administrations than enforcement. Accordingly, OSHA is widely expected to step back from its recent emphasis on voluntary worker protection in favor of stiffer enforcement and penalties. […]
