News

Do you know how to properly cover a hole?  Do you know when to cover a hole?  Did you know OSHA defines a hole as a gap or void 2 or more inches in its dimension in a floor, roof or other walking/working surface? I have run into this issue more often than I thought I ever would and usually on a multi-employer worksite.  One trade creates a hole in the roof or floor and then doesn’t cover the hole properly and doesn’t alert other trades on site of the hole.  Or even worse, the hole is covered by something that is insufficient to support 2 times the weight of whatever may end up on top of the cover even accidentally.  Covers must also be secured to prevent wind or ... Continue Reading

I realize we still have not made it through the top ten citation list, but if I am able to get across one point of safety it would be that “falls are the leading cause of fatalities in construction.” Don’t take my word for it, take the word of OSHA’s Mobile, Alabama area Director. That’s his quote when a residential contractor was cited for exposing workers to fall hazards without proper fall protection or training. OSHA’s news release from last week is here. ... Continue Reading

Our Director of Records Services, Cate Stuart-Hodges, and our Records Coordinator, Taylor Reed, attended ARMA InfoCon 2019 to learn about current best practices in information governance. Our Director of Records Services, Cate Stuart-Hodges, and our Records Coordinator, Taylor Reed, attended ARMA InfoCon 2019 to learn about current best practices in information governance. The conference offered networking opportunities and education sessions to educate, empower, and embolden attendees to make a more significant impact on their organization and community.  During the conference, Cate participated in a discussion on various strategies that can be used to pull support for information ... Continue Reading

OSHA’s Fifth Most Cited Standard for the past reporting year is: Respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134) accounting for 2,450 violations.  Do you know the differences between an air-purifying respirator, a demand respirator, and escape-only respirator, a negative pressure respirator, a positive pressure respirator a supplied air respirator and a filtering facemask?  Do you know when to use each of these?  Do you have procedures for using the proper respirator.  Do you train and make available respirators?  Are you required to do so or is it voluntary?  If it is voluntary, have you provided Appendix D to the employees who choose to use them?  Do you fit ... Continue Reading

Drew Eckl & Farnham is proud to be a sponsor for the 2019 Women, Diversity & Law conference on October 30th. Partner Jennifer Parrott's presentation will provide insights on leading in a male-dominated industry. Attorneys Shalya Bivins, Monique Clark, Juliana Neelbauer, and Taylor Poncz are attending for education and networking.  ... Continue Reading

Several of our women attorneys were recognized in the October 21 edition of the Daily Report for their efforts in educating corporate women in finances and family affairs that can affect their future success. Karen Karabinos, Sonya Jacobs, Juliana Neelbauer and Taylor Poncz provided the presentations at Google’s Atlanta Women’s Group and have plans to present at NCR and another fortune 500 company in the near future. “Despite all the strides women have made, many are still abdicating their financial decisions to spouses and significant others,” Karabinos said. In the event of a spouse’s death or a divorce, they are faced with handling their finances for the first time. “These women ... Continue Reading

I have been posting about the OSHA process and regulations since I started working here at DEF.  I have posted about the OSHA inspection process and regulations.  I am also a big believer in getting the best information out to everyone about worker safety.  Sometimes information directly from OSHA is the best source.  OSHA recently posted a new video about the inspection process.  If you interact or may possibly interact with OSHA, I suggest you take 5 minutes to take some advice directly from OSHA.   Watch here ... Continue Reading

Lockout/Tagout This one takes us outside the specific standards to prevent falls, but still results in serious injuries and its 2,606 violations in the last reporting period makes it number 4 on the OSHA top ten list.. The standard applies to the control of energy during servicing and/or maintenance of machines and equipment. The quickest citation is one for the failure to even establish an energy control procedure under 29 CFR 1910.147. An energy Control program is defined as: The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a ... Continue Reading

On Sunday October 13th, the AJC published an article by our managing partner, Joe Chancey, discussing appropriate ways to engage in political conversations at work. Due to the current political environment, the ongoing debate on presidential impeachment, and the upcoming 2020 presidential election, the topic of politics can be difficult to avoid. In the editorial article, Joe proposes several “do’s and don’ts” on how to manage political discussions or disagreements at work.  Read the Article  Joseph has been practicing for over 30 years and focuses in the areas of commercial and employment law. He has effectively defended cases that run the gamut of employment laws, ... Continue Reading