Conn Maciel Carey LLP, (CMC) a boutique law firm with national practices in Labor and Employment Law, Workplace Safety Law (OSHA and MSHA), and Litigation, is pleased to announce that Andrea O. Chavez has joined the Los Angeles, California office as Senior Counsel in the firm’s Cal/OSHA and California Labor and Employment practices. She is in her seventh year of practice and brings her experience to the firm’s expanding California team.

“I represent employers in state and federal court and before administrative agencies in employment and safety-related disputes. This includes employment discrimination, wage and hour class action, NLRB, Cal/OSHA, and federal OSHA matters,” Ms. Chavez says. “I also focus on counseling employers on all matters related to managing employment relationships.”

CMC welcomes Ms. Chavez to CMC’s Southern California office. She joins the firm’s leadership team on the West Coast, alongside attorneys Megan Shaked and Rachel Conn based in Northern California. Continue reading →

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, Eric J. Conn and Nicholas W. Scala presented a webinar regarding Tips and Strategies for Safety-Related Incident Investigation and Audit Reports.

Safety and health audits and accident or near-miss investigations are invaluable tools to identify hazards at a workplace and improve safety, but what happens when a government regulator or plaintiffs’ attorney demands copies of the reports and/or recommendations from the audit or investigation? When not done carefully or under attorney-client privilege, audit and investigation reports can serve as admissions and/or a roadmap for OSHA and MSHA investigators or plaintiffs’ attorneys regarding areas of non-compliance. This in turn can create a disincentive for employers to audit their facilities at all or conduct thorough investigations.

This webinar explored the benefits of conducting audits and investigations at the direction of counsel so as to improve safety and compliance while also protecting the company and management from adverse use by 3rd party litigants or regulators. We reviewed audit and investigation and report-writing strategies and best practices. We also reviewed OSHA’s policy on self-audits and the reality of OSHA’s use of voluntary self-audits during inspections. And we reviewed best practices to manage MSHA’s unlimited lookback period for enforcement.

Participants in this webinar learned: Continue reading →

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 1 p.m. EST, join Eric J. Conn, Nicholas W. Scala, and Daniel C. Deacon for a webinar regarding Tips and Strategies for Safety-Related Incident Investigation and Audit Reports.

Safety and health audits and accident or near-miss investigations are invaluable tools to identify hazards at a workplace and improve safety, but what happens when a government regulator or plaintiffs’ attorney demands copies of the reports and/or recommendations from the audit or investigation? When not done carefully or under attorney-client privilege, audit and investigation reports can serve as admissions and/or a roadmap for OSHA and MSHA investigators or plaintiffs’ attorneys regarding areas of non-compliance. This in turn can create a disincentive for employers to audit their facilities at all or conduct thorough investigations.

This webinar will explore Continue reading →