The case is Scalia [Secretary of Labor] v. Wynnewood Refining Co., LLC, et al, No. 19-9533 (U.S. Tenth Circuit, October 27, 2020). Wynnewood LLC’s refinery in Oklahoma processes crude oil and on a daily basis produces 70,000 barrels of gasoline, propane, propylene, butane, fuel oils, and solvents. In 2012, one of Wynnewood Refining Co’s boilers—the
Congress Responds to the Coronavirus
Responses to the coronavirus that directly impact employers are making their way through Congress. CBS and other news outlets are reporting on Congressional leaders’ negotiations regarding various measures that will directly impact employers. These measures include paid emergency sick leave and disaster unemployment assistance. See the attached link from CBS News regarding the Congressional response…
New OSHA Memorandum Clarifies That May 2016 Rule Does Not Prohibit Post-Incident Drug Testing
On May 12, 2016, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published a rule that required a “reasonable procedure” for employees to report work-related injuries and illnesses and prohibited retaliation against employees who report such injuries or illnesses. The regulations defined an unreasonable procedure as one that deterred or discouraged a reasonable employee from…
Consider RMP Reconsidered!
On May 17, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released a proposed revision to the Risk Management Program (“RMP”) rule following its reconsideration of the Obama era revisions. The proposal strips out much of those additions. According to the Rule Fact Sheet, the reconsidered rule will maintain consistency with the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations’…
U.S. 5th Circuit Addresses McCorpen, Unseaworthiness, and OSHA Preemption in Recent Case
Recently, the US Fifth Circuit addressed three maritime tenets in the same case: McCorpen defense, unseaworthiness, and regulatory governance. While these issues can be rather straightforward in the typical case, the facts in Thomas v. Hercules Offshore Services, LLC (5th Cir. March 2, 2018) provided an interesting review of each. The specific issues addressed in…
Electronic Injury Reporting Requirement Delayed by OSHA (Again)
OSHA’s regulation at 29 CFR § 1904 requires employers with more than 10 employees in most industries to keep records of occupational injuries and illnesses at their business establishments. The regulation was first issued in 1971. Covered employers must record each recordable employee injury and illness on an OSHA Form 300, known as the “Log…
Statute of Limitations Applies to Old PHA Recommendations
At the very end of 2016, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated two Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) citations against an employer that allegedly failed to timely resolve open findings and recommendations from Process Hazard Analysis (PHA). The 2008 citation related to multiple PHAs that occurred over a decade (with the last being…
Petroleum Refineries are back in OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) – New NEP to Apply to All
Effective January 17, 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new instructions concerning its National Emphasis Program (NEP) as it relates to chemical process subject to Process Safety Management (PSM). See Directive Number CPL-03-00-021. PSM requirements are codified at 29 CFR 1910.119. Prior NEPs were implemented for Petroleum Refining in 2007 and…
OSHA Updates Safety Rules for Walking-Working Surfaces
On November 18, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued a final rule “revising and updating its general industry standards on walking-working surfaces to prevent and reduce workplace slips, trips, and falls, as well as other injuries and fatalities associated with walking-working surface hazards.” 81 Fed. Reg. 82494 (Nov. 18, 2016) . Regulations…
Modified OSHA Policy Statement Defining Applicability: The “One Percent Rule” and Aqueous Mixtures
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published a Request for Information (“RFI”) on December 9, 2013 concerning possible changes to the Process Safety Management (“PSM”) program codified at 29 C.F.R. 1910.119. See 78 Fed. Reg. 73756 (Dec. 9, 2013). Likewise, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published an RFI on July 31, 2014 relating…