Occupational Safety and Health Law Handbook, 2nd edition

✍ Scribed by Eric J. Conn

• Publisher: Government Institutes
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 371
• Edition: 2
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Need to know the fundamentals behind occupational safety and health law? This highly anticipated new edition of a popular handbook provides you with an authoritative and up-to-date reference that you'll quickly rely on for straightforward explanations. This comprehensive book provides managers, engineers, and professionals with reliable and practical guidance information from experienced attorneys. Using a minimum of legal jargon, the authors provide interpretations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act's key aspects, review regulations and standards governing employee protection, and offer advice for dealing with regulatory authorities. You'll discover how to keep your workplace safety-and-health programs in compliance, you'll better understand your legal responsibilities and rights, and you'll ensure compliance confidence in your workplace. This handbook covers all of the important legal aspects of the Occupational Safety and Health Act with clearly written explanations and insights covering such issues as the boundaries of OSHA regulations, general administrative law concepts, and OSHA's enforcement tactics. This new edition now also explains what the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is and why OSHA has taken steps to conform the Hazard Communication Standard to the requirements of the internationally developed GHS for Hazard Classification and Labeling. It provides 'Practitioner's Tips,' useful legal guidance given by experienced attorneys for complying with OSHA inspection regulations and enforcing employers' and employees' rights during inspections. It describes changes to the probable cause test under OSHA's 'Warrant Requirement.' It also covers the legal and practical consequences to a business not contesting OSHA citations, OSHA's use of 'Monitoring Devices on Employees,' and more.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 21
About the Authors......Page 23
1.0 Overview......Page 33
2.0 Legislative Framework......Page 35
3.0 Scope of OSHA Standards......Page 39
4.0 Standard Setting......Page 42
5.0 Variances......Page 51
6.0 Compliance and Inspections......Page 52
7.0 Recordkeeping......Page 59
8.0 Refusal to Work and Whistle-blowing......Page 62
9.0 Federal and State Employees......Page 64
10.0 State OSHA Programs......Page 65
11.0 Consultation......Page 67
12.0 Overlapping Jurisdiction......Page 68
13.0 Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission......Page 69
14.0 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health......Page 71
15.0 Hazard Communication Regulations......Page 72
16.0 Ergonomics Issues......Page 77
17.0 Legislation......Page 80
1.0 Overview......Page 81
2.0 The Rulemaking Process......Page 82
4.0 Other Applicable Statutes Concerning Rulemaking......Page 88
5.0 Delays in Rulemaking......Page 89
7.0 Variances......Page 91
8.0 State Law Standards/Jurisdiction......Page 93
9.0 Judicial Review......Page 96
2.0 Applicability of OSHA Standards......Page 97
3.0 General Principles of the Duty to Comply......Page 99
5.0 Additional Elements That OSHA Must Sometimes Prove......Page 105
6.0 The Employer’s Substantive Affirmative Defenses......Page 106
1.0 Overview......Page 115
2.0 Who Is Protected by the General Duty Clause?......Page 118
3.0 The Existence of a Hazard......Page 119
4.0 Recognized Hazard......Page 121
5.0 Causing or Likely to Cause Death or Serious Physical Harm......Page 125
6.0 Feasible Measures to Correct the Hazard......Page 127
7.0 Practical Enforcement of the General Duty Clause......Page 129
8.0 Conclusion......Page 131
1.0 Overview......Page 133
2.0 Statutory Authority......Page 134
3.0 Injury and Illness Recordkeeping......Page 135
4.0 OSHA Standards Requiring Written Documents......Page 162
1.0 Overview......Page 175
2.0 Employers’ Rights......Page 176
3.0 Employees’ Rights......Page 180
4.0 Conclusion......Page 185
1.0 Overview......Page 187
2.0 Refusal to Work......Page 188
3.0 Whistleblowing......Page 197
4.0 Conclusion......Page 199
1.0 Overview......Page 201
2.0 The Hazard Communication Standard......Page 203
3.0 Continued Problems with the HCS as the Impetus for Change......Page 211
4.0 The Global Harmonization System......Page 215
5.0 Conclusion......Page 221
1.0 Overview......Page 223
2.0 The Significance of Voluntary Safety and Health Auditing......Page 224
3.0 OSHA’s Voluntary Self-Audit Policy......Page 228
4.0 Privileges and Protections from Disclosure of Audit Information......Page 232
5.0 Conclusion......Page 237
1.0 Overview......Page 239
2.0 Types of Inspections and Investigations......Page 240
3.0 OSHA’s Inspection and Investigation Rights......Page 241
4.0 Employers’ Constitutional and Statutory Rights......Page 247
5.0 Stages of OSHA Inspections and Investigations......Page 250
2.0 Why Should an Employer Contest a Citation?......Page 253
3.0 Procedural Requirements for Issuance of a Citation......Page 256
4.0 The Elements of OSHA Citations: What Can Be Contested?......Page 257
5.0 Contesting OSHA Citations: From Notice of Contest to Judicial Review......Page 263
6.0 Resolving Citations through Settlement with OSHA......Page 271
7.0 Employee Participation in Challenges to Citations......Page 272
1.0 Overview......Page 275
2.0 Federal Prosecution......Page 276
3.0 State Enforcement......Page 279
4.0 Prosecution under Environmental Statutes......Page 280
5.0 Recent Legislation......Page 281
1.0 Overview......Page 283
2.0 Jurisdiction......Page 284
3.0 Timing......Page 286
4.0 Scope of Judicial Review......Page 289
5.0 Conclusion......Page 293
1.0 Overview......Page 295
3.0 Nuts and Bolts of an Inspection......Page 296
4.0 The On-Site Visit......Page 298
6.0 Opening Conference......Page 301
7.0 The Walk Around......Page 302
8.0 Notices of Imminent Danger and Temporary Restraining Orders......Page 303
10.0 Citations and Penalties......Page 304
11.0 Abatement......Page 305
12.0 MSHA Imminent Danger Inspections......Page 306
13.0 Employee Rights and Labor Unions......Page 308
14.0 Summary......Page 309
2.0 Establishing State Plans......Page 311
3.0 Preemption Issues......Page 313
4.0 Approved State Plans......Page 318
Appendix......Page 319
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT......Page 321
Index......Page 363