Because our lawmakers were unable to resolve their differences over the federal budget, the United States federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025, and continues to be shutdown. As a result, approximately 750,000 employees are on unpaid leave, and the shutdown has created much uncertainly for various federal agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health
Is COVID-19 still a thing, and does OSHA care about it? Yes and yes. We all know that COVID-19 is still around. On the OSHA front, the agency seems to be focused less exclusively on COVID-19 and plans to take a broader approach.
Did you know that you can request files from OSHA? Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), employers, employees, and third parties have the right to request documents from OSHA’s inspection files. These records provide valuable insight into the evidence and reasoning behind OSHA’s decisions, including citations issued during site inspections. They can also be
Just what does an OSHA citation have to include? Section 9(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that citations
“describe with particularity the nature of the violation, including a reference to the provision of the Act, standard, rule, regulation, or order alleged to have been violated.”
This statutory mandate is designed to ensure
What happens if OSHA issues a citation and you do not agree with any or all of it? You have 15 working days from the date you receive the citation to contest in writing the citation, proposed penalty, and/or the abatement date.
Before formally contesting a citation, employers may request an
Many employers have a false notion that OSHA cannot issue a citation if there is no specific standard violated.
The reality is, however, that OSHA has a catchall/gap filler provision that allows it to cite an employer even if no specific standard was violated: the “General Duty Clause,” Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and
We often hear, “OSHA can’t cite me because I didn’t employ the injured worker.” Unfortunately, this statement is often untrue.
Under OSHA’s Multi-Employer Doctrine, if you are an employer on a worksite where other companies are also performing work (e.g., construction sites and oil/gas well sites), you can be subject to citation for workplace hazards
Most frequently, employers do not hear from OSHA unless they report a workplace injury. When a reported workplace injury does occur, OSHA will perform a walkthrough inspection of the worksite and may ultimately issue a citation for hazardous conditions OSHA believes may have caused or contributed to the incident. However, OSHA is not limited to
OSHA has a time limit on issuing citations. It must issue a citation within six months of the occurrence of any violation. The only exception to this rule is where the employer has concealed the violative condition or misled OSHA. If such a situation occurs, OSHA must issue the citation within six months from the
