Complete Story
08/26/2020
MIOSHA Updates
More Than $30K in Fines Issued to 6 Michigan Businesses for Violating COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules
Source: WKYZ Detroit, August 21, 2020
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Friday they have issued tens of thousands of dollars in fines for businesses that violated COVID-19 workplace rules in the state.
According to MIOSHA, there were several inspections that led to the "general duty" citations to six different buisnesses for "failing to uphold safe and healthy practices, potentially putting workers in harm's way.
“We’re focused on education first so employers know what they must do to safely reopen. But a failure to follow guidelines puts everyone at risk. While these citations are necessary to prevent potential serious illness, they are not a reflection of the tremendous cooperation we have seen from employers and their workers across the state,” said Michigan COVID-19 Workplace Safety Director Sean Egan. “A vast majority of businesses are doing their part to keep our economy open by following the proper guidance.”
Michigan OSHA Launches COVID-19 Enforcement Emphasis Program Targeting Retail and Restaurants
Source: Conn Maciel Carey’s COVID-19 Task Force, August 21, 2020
Over the course of the last month, several of our retail clients have been visited by Michigan OSHA (MIOSHA) for COVID-19 enforcement inspections in circumstances without an employee complaint or any self-reported work-related COVID-19 hospitalization or death. The reason for these inspections, it turns out, is MIOSHA has launched a State Emphasis Program (SEP) on COVID-19 in bars, restaurants, gas stations, grocery and convenience stores, and other retail. We got our hands on the Directive for the Emphasis Program. Here’s a summary of what Michigan employers in those industries need to know about MIOSHA’s new enforcement strategy.
The Directive lays out MIOSHA’s approach for selecting various retail and hospitality workplaces for programmed inspections about COVID-19 infection control.
The stated purposes of the Emphasis Program is to “increase MIOSHA’s presence in retail establishments to ensure workers are protected from SARS-CoV-2,” because “employees who come in contact with large numbers of people as a result of their employment [like in retail] are at elevated risk of infection”.
The inspections are evaluating the employer’s adherence to Governor Whitmer’s Executive Orders for COVID-19, OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, and applicable CDC guidance for COVID-19.
