Regardless of size or sector, all employers face challenges protecting the safety and health of their employees. Compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) and the standards and regulations from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state counterparts can be daunting, especially in light of a heightened regulatory environment.
Epstein Becker Green’s OSHA attorneys are here to help. We provide the full gamut of occupational safety and health law services—from counseling on safety and health matters to representing management in safety and health litigation arising out of enforcement actions in both federal and state OSHA-administered plans—to a diverse range of clients throughout the United States. Because we are one of the nation’s preeminent labor and employment law firms, at the same time that we provide counsel focused on specific safety and health matters, our clients can be confident that we will also identify and address any “big picture” implications of their OSHA issues.
Our Services
Our attorneys know OSHA. Accordingly, we provide advice and representation to clients in connection with the following types of matters:
- Accidents and Catastrophes
- Combustible Dust Explosions
- Grain Engulfment Accidents
- Major Construction Accidents
- Manufacturing Accidents
- Chemical and Petroleum Refining Fires, Explosions, and Other Accidents
- Citations Characterized as “Willful” or “Repeated”
- Citations Issued Under OSHA’s Multiemployer Enforcement Policy
- Efforts to Achieve OSHA VPP Status
- Egregious and Substantial Enforcement Cases
- Employee/Union Complaints
- General Duty Clause Violations
- Inspections Under OSHA’s Numerous National and Local Emphasis Programs
- Issues Related to OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Policy
- OSHA State Plan Inspections
- Process Safety Management Citations
- Recordkeeping Violations
- Wall-to-Wall Inspections
Our services also include:
- Representing employers during inspections, investigations, and enforcement actions by OSHA, CSB, EPA, MSHA, ATF, NTSB, state and local environmental regulators, fire marshals, and other government entities
- Responding to, and managing, investigations of catastrophic industrial, construction, manufacturing, and other workplace accidents, including explosions, collapses, and chemical releases
- Handling high-profile OSH Act criminal referrals and prosecutions
- Handling all aspects of OSHA litigation, including appeals of OSHA citations and the negotiation of settlements that minimize the impact of enforcement actions on wrongful death and injury cases
- Defending employers against complaints of retaliation and whistleblowing violations filed with federal and state OSHA offices
- Conducting workplace safety and health audits, injury, and illness recordkeeping audits, and safety and health training
- Providing counseling on compliance with standards and regulations
- Counseling employers on the development and implementation of safety and health programs and procedures
- Representing employers and industry associations before OSHA rulemaking forums, including the preparation of written comments and testimony on behalf of employers and associations
- Conducting safety and health due diligence for sales, mergers, and acquisitions