Violations of OSHA's HazCom Standard requirements consistently rank among the top five, year after year.

A violation of the labeling requirement is considered a serious violation, and penalties can range from several thousand dollars to over $150,000 per violation, especially for willful or repeated violations.

Because grinders are commonly used machines in workplaces nationwide, many workers become complacent about their hazards. However, grinders are very dangerous when used improperly, leading to severe injuries.

Managing hazardous waste is a critical responsibility for businesses to ensure environmental safety and regulatory compliance. Organizations must adhere to strict guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Understanding these requirements is essential to avoid penalties, protect employees, and minimize environmental impact.

While it seems common sense to not block emergency equipment, it happens; even if clutter seems only temporary. Blocked emergency equipment is not only a frequent OSHA citation, it also can have deadly consequences.

2025 brings with it a new year of protecting workers. Our mission is to support you in achieving proactive industrial safety measures, ensuring a safer and more secure working environment.

Employers are obligated to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards, which includes, among other things, measuring and monitoring employee exposure to hazardous conditions. Often times initial and baseline monitoring is overlooked, which can lead to OSHA citations and penalties.

Electrical fires are the #1 cause of fire in the workplace. Any electrical citation from OSHA is considered a serious violation and usually results in fines that can range from $1,190 to $6,913 for a low gravity violation, and can reach up to $161,323 for a willful or repeated violation.

Held every October since 2004, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort among government agencies, businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organizations which aims to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and the need to be safer and more secure online.  ACS is proud to support this important initiative, this year led by the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA).

Earlier this month, OSHA launched its Severe Injury Report (SIR) Dashboard, an online tool that users to search its severe injury report database and view trends related to workplace injuries.  The dashboard is sortable and searchable by year, NAICS code, state, establishment name, event or exposure, source, nature, and body part. OSHA encourages workers and employers to use the SIR dashboard to learn how severe injuries happen in their industries and use the agency's available resources to help prevent workplace injuries.

Soaring temperatures this summer serve as a critical reminder of the dangers posed by extreme heat. It is important to be aware of occupational risk factors and how heat affects the human body in order to prevent heat-related illnesses.

OSHA has issued a final rule that updates the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align primarily with the seventh revision of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The final rule was published on May 20, 2024 and takes effect on July 19, 2024.

Year after year Lockout/Tagout has remained one of the top 10 most cited violations by OSHA (6th in 2023), so the odds are good you might encounter one. Violations are generally for failing to have a machine specific Lockout/Tagout procedure, not training authorized or affected employees, and for failing to conduct periodic inspections of Lockout/Tagout procedures (aka annual audit).

If your company is visited by OSHA, for any reason, there is a very strong chance that they will be requesting to look at your Written Safety Plans/Programs, as well as necessary documentation for their visit. The lack of up to date and site-specific Written Safety Plans/Programs and other documentation is a leading cause of OSHA citations.

For employers who are required to maintain work-related injury and illness records, it’s that time of year again. Many, but not all, employers must complete the OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping forms on an ongoing basis. But minor injuries that are treated only by first aid don't need to be recorded.

Throughout the first half of 2023, OSHA signaled to employers that enforcement is an agency priority and that it will use a full range of mechanisms to hold employers accountable for workplace health and safety violations. With OSHA’s increased activity, employers must focus on compliance with workplace standards, preparing for inspections, and anticipating other OSHA actions.

If you do not take the right precautions when working in hot conditions, you can experience heat stress which can advance quickly to several heat-related illnesses. Employers and workers should be sure to have plans in place to provide access to plenty of water, take adequate breaks when needed, as well as access to shade or cool-down areas.

Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor and head of OSHA, announced that the agency will be launching a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) this summer to focus on high injury rates in warehouses.

Workplaces can have many stressors such as long hours, low salaries, heavy workload, tight deadlines, unclear job expectations, and job insecurity. Issues in the workplace can exacerbate the risk of experiencing mental health challenges.

Even if there's no clear regulatory requirement for a written safety plan/program, having one can benefit your business in ways besides compliance. After all, the main goal is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses or deaths that would cause harm and financial hardship to your workers, their families, and your organization.

According to the CDC, every single day, about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. There are more than 15,000 welding equipment-related eye injuries a year and power tools come in second, contributing to nearly 10,000 eye injuries a year. Nearly one million Americans have already lost some degree of sight due to an eye injury.