OSHA 300A Form: Common Mistakes Employers Make

March 2, 2020, is the deadline for electronically reporting your OSHA Form 300A Annual Summary of workplace injuries and illness data for calendar year 2019. The Form 300A is a summation of the workplace injuries and illnesses recorded on the OSHA 300 Logs during the previous calendar year, as well as the total hours worked the previous calendar year by all covered employees.

OSHA Penalties Annual Adjustments for 2020

BY: Carl Habekost, Esq.
Since 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has increased OSHA penalties annually based on the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index, after a 26 year increase hiatus.  The DOL is required to adjust maximum OSHA penalties for inflation annually by the 15th of January.

10th District Court of Appeals Upholds Commission’s Voluntary Abandonment Finding After Termination Following a Progressive Discipline Policy

BY: Janelle Matuszak, Esq.
In State ex rel. Reisinger v. Indus. Comm., 10th Dist. No. 18AP-621, 2019-Ohio-3344, claimant was terminated and subsequently filed a motion for temporary total disability compensation (TTD).  The employer argued claimant was not entitled to TTD because he abandoned his former position of employment when he was terminated pursuant to a progressive discipline policy.  First, he used his cell phone on the floor and received coaching.

Claimant’s Evidence Without a Physician’s Opinion on Impairment Insufficient to Support a Loss of Vision Award

BY: Janelle Matuszak, Esq.
In State ex rel. Beyer v. Autoneum North America, ___Ohio St.3d ____, 2019-Ohio-3714, claimant had an allowed claim for pneumoconiosis as a result of exposure to silica.  His treatment included long-term corticosteroid use which caused cataracts.  His claim was additionally allowed for bilateral cataract syndrome on a flow-through basis.  The claimant filed a motion for a loss of vision of the right eye award pursuant to R.C. 4123.

Look In the Sky: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s OSHA!