Tag Archives: OSHA

The HIPAA Journal reports: Arizona Congressman Rep. Andy Biggs has reintroduced a bill that seeks to abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Biggs views OSHA as part of “the bloated federal government” and believes safety and health issues are better handled by states and private employers. OSHA is a federal agency part of the Department of Labor and …

Via press release from the White House: Millions of Americans are currently experiencing the effects of extreme heat, which is growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to the climate crisis. President Biden has asked the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue the first-ever Hazard Alert for heat, and DOL will also ramp up enforcement to protect workers from extreme …

“My first full time job was, I think I was 18. I was an assistant for an electrician in an electrical company. And I actually learned something about government on that one because I showed up to work the first day. “I’m all decked out in what I thought was like good electrical garb. And they looked at me and …

USA Today reports: The Biden administration is officially withdrawing its requirement that most workers be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 – the controversial rule the Supreme Court blocked from enforcement earlier this month. The administration will also be asking the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss the case. But the federal agency that regulates workplace safety said Tuesday …

CNBC reports: The ruling came after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency measure started to take effect. The mandate required that workers at businesses with 100 or more employees must get vaccinated or submit a negative Covid test weekly to enter the workplace. It also required unvaccinated workers to wear masks indoors at work. OSHA, which polices workplace safety …

The Hill reports: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Sunday said large businesses should not comply with the Biden administration’s “oppressive” vaccine or testing mandate. “This mandate of [the Occupational safety and Health Administration], the federal government, needs to be struck down. And that’s why we’re fighting against it. And I expect the Supreme Court, hopefully, to rule against the …

The Washington Post reports: Conservative Supreme Court justices on Friday appeared skeptical that the Biden administration has legal authority to impose a broad vaccination-or-testing requirement on large employers. They seemed more in agreement with private businesses and Republican-led states that such policies need to be approved by Congress or implemented by state governments than a federal agency — in this …

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court is taking up two major Biden administration efforts to bump up the nation’s vaccination rate against COVID-19 at a time of spiking coronavirus cases because of the omicron variant. The justices on the conservative-oriented court are hearing arguments Friday about whether to allow the administration to enforce a vaccine-or-testing requirement that applies to …

The Hill reports: In a statement released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the administration said it was “gratified” by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit decision to reinstate its mandate. The Labor Department said in a statement on Saturday that “to provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance,” it would not be …

NPR reports: A Biden administration rule that requires workers at companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated against Covid or undergo weekly testing is back on. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on the rule Friday evening. The rule was blocked on Nov. 6, just one day after it was formally issued by the federal …

Florida Politics reports: The Florida House has approved legislation asking the Governor to develop a state workplace safety plan, handing the issue off to the Senate. The measure (HB 5B), passed Wednesday, would give Gov. Ron DeSantis until Jan. 17 to develop a plan for Florida to seek federal approval for a state counterpart to the federal Occupational Safety and …

Fox News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called state lawmakers to a special session next week to consider proposals pushing back against COVID-19 vaccine mandates for workers imposed by the Biden administration and employers. One option being weighed is whether the state should withdraw from oversight of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after the agency issued a …

Law & Crime reports: Bentkey Services, LLC, the company that owns the conservative website The Daily Wire, filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s employer vaccine mandate in federal court on Thursday. The two-page filing itself contains no legal analysis, facts or arguments. It is a petition filed directly with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit asking …

Mandatory condom use by porn performers is already the law in Los Angeles County and the issue will be put to voters statewide in November thanks to a ballot initiative sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. However yesterday state OSHA officials declined to beat voters to the punch. From the Los Angeles Times: The state Division of Occupational Safety and …