OSHA Enforcement

Joseph Dear, who was the ninth assistant secretary of labor for OSHA who served from November 1993 to January 1997, died of prostate cancer on Feb. 26. He was 62. “While the world of occupational safety and health has lost a great defender, his legacy will live on for the many years to come. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels....More

Super King Sauna NJ LLC has agreed to correct all hazards found during a July 2013 OSHA investigation after a 68-year-old employee died while working in a Korean-style sauna. The fatality occurred at the company's Palisades Park, N.J., spa and fitness facility. Employed at the facility for 10 years, the worker was responsible for setting up and maintaining the sauna, according to OSHA....More

The watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has filed a complaint with federal OSHA to call attention to California OSHA’s diminished staffing ranks. Citing an analysis by former Cal/OSHA senior executive Garrett Brown, the group asserts that Cal/OSHA has fallen below the minimum staffing level necessary to receive federal funding. At the end of 2013, Cal/OSHA had 170 inspectors to enforce safety standards for the state’s 18.6 million workers, according to Brown’s analysis. By contrast, the state had 253 fish and game wardens....More

Employers in Oregon are struggling to comply with state requirements for safety committees and safety meetings, according to new data from Oregon OSHA. In the agency’s ranking of its most cited standards of 2013, safety committees and safety meetings are No. 1....More