Lawrence Halprin Authors a Washington Legal Foundation Article on OSHA General Duty Clause Citations for Alleged Medical Mismanagement of Employee Injuries

Keller and Heckman Partner Lawrence Halprin authored a Washington Legal Foundation article, “OSHA Issues General Duty Clause Citations For Alleged Medical Mismanagement Of Employee Injuries.” The article comes from Lawrence’s May 2, 2023 client alert, where he writes, “OSHA is taking a more aggressive enforcement approach toward workplace ergonomic hazards by focusing on the medical management of employee injuries.” The article discusses a General Duty Clause citation issued to an Amazon fulfillment center, “that, in effect, alleges medical mismanagement of ten identified employee injuries that caused or was likely to cause additional harm or impair recovery of employees.”

Lawrence concludes the article by giving advice to employers: “Employers who utilize onsite workplace clinics or similar arrangements should ensure its worksites have appropriate medical protocols (developed or reviewed by physicians with adequate knowledge of occupational medicine), which are documented and properly implemented with the required medical supervision and appropriate quality review.” He adds, “If an OSHA inspector hands your site representative a medical access order, it would be prudent to consult legal counsel.”

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