Health & Safety Law

The Environmental Department's Health & Safety Law practice covers a range of environmental health and safety subspecialties, including, OSHA/Cal-OSHA compliance counseling, due diligence reviews, regulatory representation, and defense of civil and criminal enforcement actions.   We have:

• Conducted and overseen investigations of workplace accidents
• Defended clients against citations issued by OSHA (or state equivalents)
• Appealed citations to administrative appellate bodies
• Defended "whistleblower" allegations involving power plant facilities, power transmission facilities, geothermal plants, the natural gas industry, radioactive waste and disposal facilities, and oil refineries
• Defended clients against criminal prosecution of occupational safety violations by state and local authorities 

Our Health & Safety Law practice also includes more than a decade of experience relating to pipeline safety, including U.S. Department of Transportation regulatory issues surrounding the safe operation of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.  Our practice includes:

• Advising clients regarding compliance with existing DOT rules and regulations
• Analyzing proposed DOT regulations
• Defending administrative enforcement actions for alleged DOT regulatory violations
• Investigating pipeline accidents
• Performing due diligence for transactions involving pipeline assets when those assets are regulated by DOT

Our Health & Safety Law practice keeps abreast of and advises clients on significant developments in legislative, regulatory and enforcement matters.  For example, we are monitoring and commenting on proposed regulations implementing the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 for pipeline operator clients, and are assisting these clients with compliance audits to avoid fines, penalties, and potential catastrophic events due to vulnerability from non-compliance.

As with our Environmental, Products and Natural Resources Law practices, our Health & Safety Law attorneys have represented clients throughout the United States.