Colorado employers would be wise to evaluate how legal developments that occurred in 2015 impact their current employment policies. From family leave policies to workplace safety laws, the developments in key cases may require updates to company handbooks and workplace policies, including Fed-OSHA guidance for employers on restroom/locker room policies. Denver Business Journal

Fire crews in Lubbock County, Texas were battling a blaze at a cotton facility late Sunday. The fire comes four days after what local officials called a fatal industrial accident at the facility. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Federal prosecutors are likely to start hunting for worker safety violations when pursuing environmental criminal charges to add an emotional punch to otherwise dry, technical cases, according to former Justice Department staffers. By the same token, companies accused of worker safety violations can expect their environmental records to be scrutinized as prosecutors seek to bolster […]

Montgomery County, Maryland authorities are investigating the death of a worker in an industrial machinery accident at a local business. MOSH will investigate as well. Montgomery Community Media

For the second time in three years, Fed-OSHA has cited an Elmore, Alabama producer of fire-reinforced plastics components for exposing workers to fire and explosion hazards. Amtech Southeast was found by investigators to have improperly stored oxygen and acetylene cylinders together, as well as failing to label containers with the proper chemical name. Wetumpka Herald […]

The N.C. Department of Labor is now accepting applications from businesses that qualify for a workplace safety award, the agency announced in a news release. The deadline is Feb. 12. Fayetteville Observer

After a year of promises that an online form for reporting work-related fatalities and severe workplace injuries was “coming soon,” Fed-OSHA finally unveiled the form on its website on December 24, 2015. The online form is one of three options that employers can use to fulfill updated fatality and severe injury reporting requirements, which went […]