Regulation nationRegulation nation

Robin Lee Allen

In late January, attorney Matthew Deffebach was in the middle of three trials involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and he says he expects that number to grow.


Deffebach, a partner with Haynes and Boone LLP, heads up the law firm’s OSHA practice in Houston, a vantage point from which he has seen the federal agency ramp up its enforcement efforts in the past few years.


While OSHA once focused on blue-collar industries, its sights have expanded to include more retail and other service businesses, including restaurants, he said. And a pending rule that would require employers nationwide to create Injury and Illness Prevention Programs could mean even more scrutiny from OSHA investigators, with the poten...