There Are No Excuses for Breaching Safety Practices
Contractors need to lead by example on the jobsite. When it comes to safety rules and regulations, there’s never an acceptable excuse for construction professionals to breach these important laws. If the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) doesn’t feel it’s an acceptable excuse, neither should you. In this editorial, an OSHA defense attorney with […]
Assessing OSHA Enforcement Cases in Florida for the First Quarter of 2019
Slowly over the course of the year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rolls out its data related to OSHA inspections, workplace injuries, work-related fatalities, and penalties issued in enforcement cases. Recently, OSHA updated its website to feature the results from the first quarter of 2019 (January through March) for initial enforcement penalties. In […]
Oregon OSHA’s ABCs of Project Site Safety: A – B
In an effort to spread awareness about Oregon OSHA’s concerns relating to workplace safety, the agency has developed many resources to assist contractors that want to protect their workers’ safety and health. In addition to free safety, health, and ergonomic consultations, Oregon OSHA also offers no-cost workshops as well as pre-job conferences. However, working closely […]
Oregon OSHA’s ABCs of Project Site Safety: C
In the Beaver State, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trains a watchful eye on the construction industry to ensure that contractors are maintaining safe and healthful project sites. In fact, Oregon OSHA offers an array of services and materials to help contractors maintain compliance. One valuable resource is The ABCs of Construction Site […]
Criminal Sanctions and OSHA
Did you know that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations could result in criminal charges? That’s right, you could end up in prison for failing to uphold OSHA’s rules and regulations governing project site safety. To make matters worse, state prosecutors are being tapped to issue criminal sanctions against contractors for egregious violations involving […]
Staying Safe Around Power Lines Part 2
In part one, we discussed the minimum clearance distances that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires contractors to abide by when working in the vicinity of power lines. Below, we further discuss measures that you can employ to ensure worker safety around these electrical hazards. Remember, power lines present a very real danger […]
Staying Safe Around Power Lines Part 1
Power lines are potentially dangerous electrical hazards that construction workers must work around every day. As one of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) “Fatal Four,” electrocutions accounted for over 7 percent of deaths in construction in 2017. By staying safe around power lines, you can safeguard your workforce from one of the most […]
Important OSHA Facts for Contractors
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a sect of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) focused on enforcing a wide array of rules and regulations designed to improve safety in the workplace. Before OSHA was established, there was little oversight to ensure that workers weren’t being exposed to unsafe working conditions, resulting […]
Important OSHA Considerations for Oregon Contractors
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been cracking down on contractors in Oregon that fail to abide by labor laws, train their workers, and maintain safe project sites. The Oregon State Plan is unique to the Beaver State, and covers the majority of public- and private-sector employees, not including: Federal employees The United […]
Traumatic Brain Injury in the Construction Industry Part 2
In part one of this two-part series, the OSHA defense attorneys at Cotney Construction Law discussed traumatic brain injury (TBI), a form of head injury that can lead to brain damage and is prevalent in the construction industry. Construction workers have the highest risk of TBI. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and […]