New rule will require certain employers in high-hazard industries to submit more info

• The U.S. Labor Dept. announced a final rule that will require certain employers in high-hazard industries to submit more injury and illness information to OSHA.
• Effective January 1, 2024, certain businesses in high-hazard industries must submit their Form 300-Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Form 301-Injury and Illness Incident Report to OSHA once a year.
• This requirement is in addition to the Form 300A data they already submit.
• OSHA will publish the submitted data on a public website that will include safety data, accident narratives, accident counts, injury types, and other information that is not considered employees’ personal identifiable information.
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Dollar Tree, Family Dollar reaches settlement with regulators

• The parent company of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will have two years to identify the causes of repeated safety violations and take steps to correct them under a settlement agreement with U.S. regulators.
• OSHA reached a settlement agreement with Dollar Tree to improve workplace safety nationwide. The companies have also agreed to pay $1.35 million in penalties to settle existing contested as well as open inspections of similar alleged violations.
• The company bought Family Dollar in 2015 for nearly $9 billion and the settlement agreement affects about 10,000 locations.
• Dollar Tree and Family Dollar must conduct an assessment of the root causes of the violations OSHA has repeatedly cited, and then make operational changes to correct them under the agreement.
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OSHA investigating spill

• OSHA is investigating Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, after a chemical spill at the company’s electric-vehicle battery-cell manufacturing plant.
• The agency opened the inquiry after getting a report on the incident.
• After the discovery of the cathode mixing slurry leak at the state Route 45 factory, immediate steps were taken to isolate the cause and contain the leak.
• No employee was exposed or injured, and a third party was brought in to help with the cleanup.
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Missouri company cited for repeated safety violations

• Twice within two months in 2023, OSHA found Cheltenham Construction Services exposed employees to deadly fall hazards as they performed siding and roofing work in Lake St. Louis and O’Fallon, Missouri.
• The agency discovered that the contractor allowed employees to work at heights greater than 6 feet without required fall arrest systems, safety nets, or guardrails, and allowed ladders to be used improperly.
• In Lake St. Louis, the company failed to protect employees using pneumatic nail guns against eye and face hazards.
• OSHA cited the company for two repeat and two serious violations and proposed $334,618 in penalties.
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