Review Panel Cases Taking Longer, Backlogged

March 20, 2025

 

OSHA Appeals Taking Longer, With Fewer Resolved

  • OSHA case resolution time has increased and the number of cases closed has dropped in recent years, AgDaily reported this week, citing Investigate Midwest.
  • The decline has occurred as the OSHA Review Commission has operated without a quorum, resulting in no cases reviewed in 2024 while a backlog has swelled.
  • Over the last 10 years, the time it takes judges working with the OSHRC to investigate appeals has stretched from less than 18 months to more than two years, according to Investigate Midwest’s analysis of hundreds of appeals.
  • OSHRC is an independent entity and is not a part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.
  • About 6% of all OSHA inspections conducted each year result in a company contesting a fine, according to Investigate Midwest’s analysis.
  • OSHRC began 2024 with about 1,400 cases in backlog, a 20% increase from 2014.
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Construction Week Plans Include Industry-wide Site Stand-down

  • National Construction Safety Week in May will include what is said to be the largest industry-wide construction stand-down.
  • The May 7 effort to pause work on construction sites across the U.S. coincides with OSHA’s hosting its 12th National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction to raise fall hazard awareness and stop fall fatalities and injuries.
  • If companies cannot participate on May 7, they are invited to stand down any time during the week of May 5-9.
  • The number of potentially preventable deaths in our field is staggering, and we are committed to working together to spread awareness and reduce those numbers,” said Mike Choutka, CEO Hensel Phelps and 2025 Construction Safety Week Chair.

 

Michigan Farmers Circle Tractors to Protest State Rules

  • Michigan farmers circled the state Capitol in Lansing Tuesday to lobby against what they say are burdensome regulations that are increasing costs for the agriculture industry.
  • Specifically, they are opposing state rules governing groundwater withdrawal, waste permitting on fruit washing, wetland regulations, and slow permitting and various fees and fines that are hampering agribusiness.
  • The rules are promulgated by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other agencies.
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