Labor & Employment

NY DOL Headquarters Renamed Frances Perkins Building, Marks 125th Anniversary

The New York State Department of Labor announced the renaming of its Albany headquarters to the Frances Perkins Building in honor of the first woman to serve in a U.S. cabinet position. Frances Perkins served as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 and helped shape the Social Security Act and Fair Labor Standards Act. The designation coincides with the Department's 125th anniversary and was formalized through an Executive Order signed by Governor Hochul on Perkins' birthday.

COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard 1910.502

OSHA codified 29 CFR 1910.502, an Emergency Temporary Standard establishing COVID-19 workplace safety requirements for healthcare settings. The standard applies to settings where employees provide healthcare or healthcare support services, with specific exemptions for first aid by non-licensed providers, retail pharmacies, screened ambulatory care settings, fully vaccinated hospital settings, home healthcare with screening, and telehealth outside direct patient care. The standard addresses employee vaccination status, screening protocols, and accommodations for employees unable to be vaccinated due to medical conditions or religious beliefs.

OSHA Standard 1910.134: Respiratory Protection Requirements

OSHA Standard 1910.134 establishes respiratory protection requirements for general industry, shipyards, marine terminals, longshoring, and construction. The standard requires employers to prevent atmospheric contamination through engineering controls first, and provide appropriate respirators when controls are not feasible. Employers must establish and maintain a written respiratory protection program meeting specified requirements.

Fall Protection Systems and Falling Object Protection - 29 CFR 1910.29

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.29 establishes mandatory fall protection and falling object protection requirements for employers across general industry. The standard specifies guardrail system specifications including top rail height of 42 inches (±3 inches), midrail installation requirements, and structural load testing standards (200 lb downward/outward force for top rails, 150 lb for intermediate members). Employers must provide and install all required fall protection before employees begin work in areas necessitating such protection.

Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) - 29 CFR 1910.147

OSHA's lockout/tagout standard (29 CFR 1910.147) establishes minimum performance requirements for controlling hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment. The standard protects employees from unexpected energization, startup, or release of stored energy that could cause injury. The regulation applies to general industry employers whose employees perform servicing or maintenance on machines with hazardous energy sources.

Asbestos Regulations for Construction Work, 29 CFR 1926.1101

OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1926.1101 regulates asbestos exposure in construction work as defined under 29 CFR 1910.12(b). The standard covers demolition and salvage of structures with asbestos, removal or encapsulation of asbestos-containing materials, construction and renovation work involving ACM, installation of asbestos-containing products, emergency cleanup, and disposal activities. The standard defines three work classifications (Class I, II, III) and establishes that coverage is based on the nature of work operations involving asbestos exposure.

1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure Standard

OSHA Standard 1910.95 establishes permissible noise exposure limits and hearing conservation requirements. Employers must implement feasible administrative or engineering controls when noise exceeds Table G-16 levels, and provide personal protective equipment when controls fail. A hearing conservation program is required when 8-hour TWA reaches 85 decibels.

OSHA Standard 1910.333 - Selection and Use of Work Practices for Electrical Safety

OSHA Standard 1910.333 establishes requirements for electrical safety-related work practices for general industry. The standard requires employers to deenergize live parts before employees work on or near them, unless deenergizing introduces additional hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. When working on deenergized parts, employers must implement lockout/tagout procedures in accordance with specified requirements.

OSHA 1910.1025 Lead Exposure Standard

OSHA's standard 29 CFR 1910.1025 establishes permissible exposure limit (PEL) for occupational lead at 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average, with an action level of 30 µg/m³ triggering monitoring and control requirements. The standard applies to general industry employers and requires exposure monitoring, engineering controls, respirator use, and medical surveillance for affected workers.

Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries Standard (29 CFR 1904)

OSHA maintains 29 CFR Part 1904, the Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Standard, which establishes employer obligations to record work-related injuries and illnesses on OSHA forms 300, 300A, and 301. The standard includes partial exemptions for employers with 10 or fewer employees and establishments in certain low-hazard industries. Subpart C sets recording criteria and forms requirements, while Subpart D covers additional recordkeeping obligations including annual summaries, retention periods, and employee access to records.