On March 15, John Cruden, the Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources, gave an address explaining USDOJ’s approach to enforcement of workplace health and safety laws.  This new approach is set out in a memorandum authored by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and issued late last year.  In short, criminal enforcement of workplace health and safety has been added to the Environment and Natural Resources Division and will be for the most part combined with enforcement of environmental laws.  Thus, a workplace injury arising from a chemical spill, for example, might become the subject of criminal enforcement both under the hazardous waste or chemical regulation laws and under the workplace safety laws. 

A copy of Mr. Cruden’s prepared remarks is here. 

A copy of the “Other Yates Memo” is here. 

A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding Between DOJ and DOL (executed by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Deputy Secretary of Labor Christopher Lu) is here.