compliance Archives

Jan 11, 2017

Possible Change to EPA Toxic Rules for Large Boilers

On December 23, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) toxic pollution requirements for large industrial boilers were flawed, siding with arguments made by environmental groups. The decision left the existing rule in place while ordering the EPA to make the necessary corrections in the boiler, Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards for Boilers, commonly known as Boiler MACT. Industrial groups have expressed optimism that the incoming Trump administration will take the opportunity to revise how the EPA sets toxic pollutant standards across the board. For example, the Trump administration’s EPA… Read more

Apr 14, 2014

OSHA Inspectors Set High Beams on Auto Parts Manufacturers in the Southeast

If you are a motor vehicle parts manufacturer within Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, your probability of undergoing a comprehensive on-site Federal OSHA safety inspection within the next two years is virtually certain, according to the recently launched OSHA Region IV “Regional Emphasis Program for Safety in the Auto Parts Industry” (REP). The program, announced earlier this year, seeks to reduce workplace exposure to safety and health hazards in the motor vehicle parts supply industry, emphasizing the most common causes of injury and the most frequently cited violations, comprising lock out/tag out; machine guarding; and electrical-related hazards. In light of OSHA’s… Read more

Aug 25, 2009

Authority to Impose Fines

We have been asked from time to time by cooperative (“coop”) and condominium boards about their ability to impose fines to ensure compliance with house rules. While the fines that boards seek to impose are generally small, boards occasionally seek to charge considerable sums for repeated or continuing infractions. You should be aware, however, that regardless of the amount, the legality of fines or penalty fees may be subject to question. Courts have determined that the New York Condominium Act authorizes a condominium board to impose fines. See Sweetman v. Board of Managers of Plymouth Village Condominium, 1998 WL 112655… Read more