Safety Law: Legal Aspects in Occupational Safety and Health

Safety professionals must prepare every day to safeguard their employees in the workplace. Additionally, part of every safety professional’s responsibility is to safeguard their organization when a compliance inspection is conducted by federal, OSHA, or a state plan agency. Safety professionals are most organizations’ onsite safety and health "expert" and should be prepared far in advance of an inspection. They should be prepared during the inspection, and ready to defend the organization after the inspection. With the increase in the monetary penalties, the impact on an organization as a result of identified violations can be substantial.

This text prepares and educates safety professionals to address every phase from strategies, to compliance, to defenses, and provides a one stop location for information to address and prepare the safety professional if/when OSHA knocks at the door.

Additionally, the safety function does not work in a vacuum. Other potential risks and potential liabilities from other laws, such as the ADA, which can impact the safety function, are also addressed. Safety professionals know that their organizations depend on their experience and expertise in their decision-making process.

• Provides a legal prospective to prepare safety professionals for OSHA inspection and related potential risks
• Case studies to enhance learning and state-by-state listing of applicable laws and regulations
• Demonstrates an understanding of defense preparation and strategies for safety professionals
• The safety professional’s "go to" book for compliance and inspections

Thomas D. Schneid is the Chair of the Department of Safety and Security and a tenured professor in the School of Safety, Security and Emergency Management in the College of Justice and Safety at Eastern Kentucky University. Tom has worked in the safety, human resource and legal fields and has represented numerous corporations and individuals in OSHA and labor/employment related litigations throughout the United States. Tom has earned a B.S. in education, M.S. and CAS in safety as well as his Juris Doctor (J.D. in law) from West Virginia University and LL.M. (Graduate Labor and Employment Law) from the University of San Diego as well as post tenure Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and M.S. in International Business. Tom is a member of the bar for the U.S. Supreme Court, 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals and a number of federal districts as well as the Kentucky and West Virginia Bar.

Tom has authored and/or co-authored numerous texts on including Workplace Safety and Health: Assessing Current Practices and Promoting Change in the Profession (2014), Corporate Safety Compliance: Law, OSHA and Ethics (2008); Labor and Employment Issues for Safety Professional (2011); Americans With Disabilities Act: A Compliance Guide (1994); ADA: A Manager’s Guide (1993); Legal Liabilities for Safety and Loss Prevention Professionals (2010); Fire and Emergency Law Casebook (1996); Creative Safety Solutions (1998); Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace (1999); Legal Liabilities in Emergency Management (2001) and Fire Law (1995). Tom has also co-authored several texts including Food Safety Law (1997), Legal Liabilities for Safety and Loss Prevention Professionals (1997), Physical Hazards in the Workplace (2001), and Disaster Management and Preparedness (2000) as well as over 100 articles on safety and legal topics..

Tom’s current areas of academic interest include Drone Law, Licensure for the Safety Profession and the Changing Labor Landscape in the United States.