Compliance Stuff

This is the sixteenth installment in a series of articles intended to provide the reader with a very high-level overview of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and how both influence workplaces in the United States. Quick Hits OSHA-approved state plans  have their own workplace safety and health  regulations , which must be at least as effective as the corresponding  federal OSHA regulations . Within the list of state plan programs, California, Oregon, and Washington are the most active in enforcement. Each state plan has substantial procedural differences and its own system for issuing, appealing, and litigating citations. By the time this series is complete, the reader should be conversant in the subjects covered and have developed a deeper understanding of how the OSH Act and OSHA work. The series is not—nor can it be, of course— a comprehensive study of the OSH Act or OSHA capable of equippi...

  New Hampshire has recently made headlines with its new statute allowing employees to bring firearms to work in certain circumstances, which became effective on January 1, 2025 . The law, signed by Governor Chris Sununu, allows employees who have concealed carry permits to bring their firearms to work as long as the firearms are secured and stored out-of-sight in employees’ locked vehicles on company property. Note that the law does   not   require employers to allow guns in the workplace itself ; however, it does extend protections to employees who wish to keep their firearms in their personal cars during working hours. Key Provisions of the Law Right to Keep Firearms in Vehicles : The law allows employees with valid concealed carry permits to store their firearms out-of-sight in their locked personal vehicles, even if their employer has a general policy prohibiting firearms on the company’s premises. Additionally, employers cannot require an employee to disclose whethe...

A rash of recent natural disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes to wildfires, serves as a timely reminder to employers of the potential for natural disasters to disrupt their operations and cause imminent hazards in the workplace. Quick Hits Natural disasters may be unpredictable and devastating, but employers can take steps to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on their businesses and workforces. Employers may want to brush off and review their disaster-response plans and consider other legal implications for responding to natural disasters. Tropical Storm Debby has reportedly caused at least six deaths since making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on August 5, 2024 . The storm is now progressing up the East Coast, dropping heavy rains and spawning tornadoes. Meanwhile, on August 6, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, sparking fears of another devastating major earthquake. B oth come as wildfires continue to ravage the Pacific Northwest and Can...