OSHA’s General Duty Clause: Examining an Employer’s Legal Duty to Furnish a Place of Employment Free from Recognized Hazards

Found within the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a workplace free from “recognized hazards.” But what exactly does that mean, and how should an employer plan to eliminate hazards that have yet to be codified by the Department of Labor within the Code of Federal Regulations? This session will discuss the history and development of the General Duty Clause as an enforcement tool used by OSHA, as well as how the General Duty Clause continues to develop today in both the courts and under each incoming executive administration. You’ll gain a better understanding of how employers, safety officers and health professionals can create programs, policies, and engineering and administrative controls to help defend employers against General Duty Clause inspections and OSHA enforcement actions.

Anthony Tilton

OSHA Defense Counsel