OSHA’s Civil Penalties Increased in 2020 – What Companies Need to Be Aware of Moving Forward

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) increased its fines by approximately two percent on January 15, 2020 in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015. The DOL evaluated all of the civil penalties it administered and calculated the annual inflation adjustments based on the consumer price index for all urban consumers. Ultimately, this evaluation resulted in an increase of approximately two percent to all but four of the penalties it administers. As an example, if a company is found to…
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Maine Joins New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois as Newest State Plan Protecting State and Local Employees

OSHA recently approved Maine as the newest State Plan responsible for protecting the safety and health of state and local government employees. Under the approved plan, the Maine Department of Labor is designated as the state agency responsible for the development and enforcement of occupational safety and health standards applicable to state and local government employment throughout the state. OSHA retains full authority for coverage of private sector  employees in the State of Maine, as well as for coverage of federal government employees. Maine joins…
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