This detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, fully updated for 2023, addresses the workplace-related issues facing employers in the wake of hurricane-related disasters. In addition to legal obligations you need to consider, this Insight also addresses the practical questions that most often arise both while preparing and in the aftermath of storms. The information contained here could be of value beyond the current hurricane season and may be helpful following any natural catastrophe. What are the most critical issues you need to be aware of during preparation and recovery?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. WORKPLACE SAFETY ISSUES
Will OSHA relax enforcement of its various workplace safety standards due to the massive disruption associated with a hurricane?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cannot tell employers to ignore or violate OSHA regulations or consensus standards, even in the face of such disruption. In the case of past hurricanes, tornados, and blizzards, OSHA mobilized its Compliance Officers and Industrial Hygienists to provide “compliance assistance” during the period of initial clean up and did not meaningfully focus on issuing citations....
Pakistan on April 22, Thursday urged the United Nations to call upon India to restore full implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning that New Delhi’s “illegal” decision to hold the ...