Kentucky Moves to Align State Regs With Federal OSHA
- Kentucky’s State House Wednesday passed a bill that aims to align its occupational safety and health regulations with federal OSHA standards.
- Among the provisions in the bill, it would prevent the enforcement of any regulation stricter than federal OSHA requirements; Require supporting evidence for claims before an inspection is conducted; Clarify who may participate in workplace inspections to ensure a more efficient process; and, Establish clear timelines for filing and resolving complaints to limit disruptions to business operations.
- Kentucky is one of 22 states with its own state-managed occupational safety and health program, known as a “state plan,” which can impose more stringent regulations than those set by federal OSHA.
READ MORE
Ogletree Deakins Sees OSHRC Quorum Issue Ahead
- Lawyers at Ogletree Deakins see a looming issue with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), according to their Feb. 26 blog post on the challenges ahead for OSHA.
- The independent federal agency that settles employer disputes with OSHA has lacked a quorum on its three-person panel since April 2023, leaving pending cases unresolved.
- Lacking a quorum, 30 cases pending OSHRC review have remained in limbo — some for as long as four years — and will remain so without adjudication.
- The current term of the Review Commission’s only member — Cynthia L. Attwood — expires on April 27, 2025.
- The Ogletree lawyers said that as the Office of the Solicitor General recently announced that it would no longer defend certain protections for administrative law judges, that could create opportunities for employers to challenge the authority of OSHRC administrative law judges.
READ MORE
Growth of GPUs Creates Data Center Safety Issue
- The growth of data centers is driving demand for higher-voltage installations to support GPUs, or graphics processing units, creating a need for special safety training, Fierce Network reported.
- The report noted an arc flash in 2022 burned three workers at a Google data center in Iowa.
- OSHA updated its guidance for electric arc prevention last year, the first time in nearly two decades, to require increased use of personal protective equipment for those working on energized projects.
READ MORE
Idaho Job-Related Deaths Reach Decade High
- Idaho logged 48 deaths from workplace accidents in 2023, its highest number of job-related fatalities in a decade, up 23% from 2022.
- Transportation incidents accounted for half of all on-the-job fatalities. Contact deaths were the second largest cause in the state.
READ MORE