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Regulatory Actions,08-08-16 | News
Regulatory Actions



OSHA is delaying enforcement on certain provisions of its new Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule. Those provisions, known as anti-retaliation protections, require employers to: tell employees of their right to report workplace injuries or illnesses without fear of retaliation, and ensure company procedures for reporting these injuries and illnesses do not discourage workers from informing employers when they get hurt or fall ill. These provisions were set to become effective on August 10 but will now take effect on Nov. 1, 2016. This delay does not override the existing law prohibiting such retaliation.



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A temporary delay, this time issued by a federal court, is preventing the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor's final "persuader" rule requiring employers to report all communications with legal counsel, including associations as well as attorneys, regarding union organizing. While the case is being decided, employers still have to notify the DOL when their legal representatives communicate directly with employees on these matters.




A proposed ASTM International standard is designed to help laboratories and producers determine the quality and proportions of fibers within hydraulically applied erosion control products (HECPs), which are engineered and processed to specific lengths and widths to help prevent clogging and allow for a properly layered, interlocking mulch that will hold seed and moisture, and reduce erosion. The standard will set a specific range of fiber length percentages. ASTM welcomes participation in its development.




The International Organization for Standardization has approved a new mixed-fleet telematics standard that will enable equipment users to gather more OEM equipment data into their business or fleet management software, providing improved ability to manage and analyze information across their fleets, and helping to save time and money on the jobsite or within their operations.




Responding to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act, which mandates increases in civil monetary fines to help them be effective preventative tools, federal agencies are adjusting their penalties to account for inflation since the last time they were raised. OSHA's new maximum amounts on violations that occurred after November 2, 2015 is now $12,471 for serious violations and $124,709 for willful or repeated violations – both representing a 78 percent increase. The EPA's maximum fine for violation of its Clean Water Act's stormwater permitting requirements is $51,570 per violation – an increase of nearly 40 percent.









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