Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced his resignation in early February. At the time of the update, he has not actually stepped down and ideas are being tossed around about his potential replacement. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su is expected to take over as acting secretary, which presents the possibility that she could be our next Secretary of Labor. Regardless of who fills the shoes, OSHA field offices and inspectors will stay busy (see below) – which means employers need to stay diligent.
Expansion of combustible dust NEP – This National Emphasis program has now been expanded to the following industries:
311812 – Commercial Bakeries
325910 – Printing Ink Manufacturing
321912 – Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planning
316110 – Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing
321214 – Truss Manufacturing
424510 – Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers
The NEP was revised after enforcement reports indicated that wood and food products made up over half of the materials involved in combustible dust fires and explosions.
Instance-by-Instance Citations – Also in February, OSHA announced a change in how they may handle enforcement to discourage non-compliance. Instead of grouping citations, Regional Administrators and Area Directors can use their authority to cite each instance of non-compliance separately. These will theoretically be reserved for “high gravity,” serious, and repeated violations including lockout/tagout, machine guarding, confined space, trenching and several more. You can read more about it here.
Employee Representation During Inspections – OSHA is expected to publish its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) this May for a proposal that would permit workers to designate another worker or union representative to accompany an OSHA inspector during a walk-through. More importantly, it could be permitted regardless of whether the rep is your employee, or your facility is unionized.
If this sounds familiar, the letter of interpretation referred to as the “Fairfax Memo” issued in 2013 stated roughly the same thing, and was rescinded in 2017 in light of a federal lawsuit filed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. We’ll keep you informed of any updates on this, and when the NRPM enters the commentary phase. In the meantime, make sure your management and safety teams are on the same page about how inspections will be handled, should the occasion arise.
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
Earlier this month before we left for a long holiday weekend, we gathered all of our employees at Spooner’s Westlake headquarters to celebrate an amazing 50 years in business! We celebrated with sunshine, great food, a few cold beverages, and live music. If you’ve been a client for a while, you may have heard the story of how our founder, Tom Spooner, started our family of companies in 1975. For those that haven’t, we like it so much that it takes up most of our “About Us” section, so you can read it there. The abridged version is: we started with grit and determination, and found ways to disrupt the industry in the interest of Ohio employers. Tom Spooner felt then, as our leadership team feels today, that Ohio business big and small need a true partner when it comes to risk management. We’re beyond proud to be that partner to thousands of businesses. While we’ve been lucky enough to experience tremendous growth over the last five decades, we’ve been cautious about keeping that growth organic and maintaining the values and integrity that got us here. We love what we do, and that passion is a big part of what’s kept our client retention rate hovering over 98% for countless consecutive years. We’d like to thank our incredible staff and leadership, and our trusting clients for helping us achieve this milestone. Here’s to the next
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently proposed some sweeping changes to longstanding regulations. OSHA published a whopping 25 proposed rules and one final rule on July 1, 2025. The proposed rules encompass several different topics related to worker health and safety. Some of the proposals will impact very narrow groups of employers and industries, and a few may have a substantial impact on a large number of U.S. employers. OSHA’s commentary on these changes indicates a goal of removing unnecessary regulatory burdens on employers, while also streamlining OSHA’s regulatory process. The only final rule put into place (and effective immediately) eliminates the need for OSHA’s administrator to seek opinions of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health before publishing, changing, or revoking standards that apply to construction work. Below are a few high notes from some of the more broadly applicable proposed regulations. Remember that OSHA’s rulemaking process requires them to publish these proposed changes and allow time for public commentary and feedback. The links above and below lead to the Federal Register site, where the full details of the suggested changes can be accessed along with the feedback submission form. Highlights of Notable Proposed Rules Application of the General Duty Clause: This could be the change that causes the most stir and elicits the most feedback. While the General
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
Ohio BWC has opened the application period the Safety Intervention Grant (SIG) Program, which matches eligible state-fund employers $3 to $1 on investments to create a safer workplace. Most employers who have had an Ohio BWC policy for at least one year, are paying above minimum premium ($120+), current on installments and true ups with no lapses this year should be able to take advantage. Self-insuring employers, employers in a self-insured PEO, state agencies and state universities are not eligible. Every three years, eligible employers can apply for up to $40,000 in matching funds to purchase “equipment to substantially reduce or eliminate injuries and illnesses associated with a particular task or operation.” The first thing to note is that if your organization wants to benefit from the Safety Intervention Grants, you must complete this process before purchasing equipment. Be prepared with info on workers’ comp claims or incidents associated with the particular area or task, number of employees performing the task, and explore vendors to get price quotes on equipment. As always, there are items and services that grant funds can’t be used for - like standard PPE, training, equipment needed to meet minimum OSHA requirements, etc. A detailed moratorium can be found here. Of course, there are usually a few strings attached when money is given away. There are reporting requirements once the grant is approved. To avoid getting too
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