Source: https://www.arentfox.com/attorneys/mark-dreux
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 19:22:57+00:00

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Mark is the head of the OSHA group in Arent Fox’s Labor & Employment practice and is nationally recognized for his work in occupational safety and health law.
Mark focuses on representing employers and trade associations in all aspects of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). His practice includes counseling clients in regulatory compliance with the standards and regulations which OSHA and the state plans have promulgated, investigating significant workplace incidents, managing OSHA inspections, contesting OSHA citations, defending employers in OSHA enforcement actions, conducting safety and health audits and due diligence reviews, and engaging in regulatory advocacy.
Recently, Mark was recognized by EHS Today as one of the 50 most influential leaders in the field of occupational safety and health.
Over the last 25 years, Mark has defended employers in 35 fire and explosion incidents, 105 fatality investigations, and hundreds of citations alleging violations of the general duty clause and OSHA standards, particularly, process safety management (PSM), lockout/tagout (LOTO), hazard communication (HAZCOM), emergency response, permit required confined spaces, personal protective equipment, including respirators, recordkeeping, and guarding. From 1984 to 1987, Mark was a federal prosecutor, and he frequently combines his extensive knowledge of criminal and OSHA law to defend employers in criminal OSHA proceedings.
Lead counsel in drafting an amicus brief for the American Petroleum Institute to define the phrase “Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice (‘RAGAGEP’)” for the purpose of the PSM standard.
Secretary of Labor v. Dow Corning Corp., KOSHRC No. 4888-12. Following a two-day trial, the Administrative Law Judge agreed that a reciprocating pump did not need a guard and vacated the primary citation at issue for machine guarding. The OSHA defense team, led by Mark Dreux and assisted by Matt Thorne, was engaged by the employer to defend the issued machine guarding citation for failure to guard the exposed shaft of a reciprocating pump. Periodically, the pumps had to be cleaned of excess sealant that collected around the pump’s slow moving, exposed shaft. The employer had an effective lockout-tagout (LOTO) procedure in place so that employees could clean the pump safely. An employee injury occurred when the LOTO procedure was not followed and the pump the employee was cleaning was re-energized without his knowledge. At trial, the OSHA team successfully demonstrated that the exposed pump did not possess a moving-part hazard and even if it did, employees were not exposed to it due to the employer’s effective LOTO policy, the slow-moving nature of the pump, and the fact that no employees were stationed around it. As a result, the machine guarding citation was vacated and the employer was not required to sustain the significant cost of guarding its 400 pumps, nation-wide.
Secretary of Labor v. Delek Refining, OSHRC Docket No. 09-0844 (July 11, 2011). Commission extended the attorney-client privilege to a draft report concerning PSM compliance by a third-party expert. In a case of first impression, the Commission established a three-part test for determining whether a third-party expert’s report is protected by the attorney-client privilege.
Secretary of Labor v. Interstate Brands Corporation, OSHRC Docket No. 00-1077 (April 24, 2003). Following a trial, the administrative law judge rejected the Secretary’s argument for machine specific LOTO procedures and accepted IBC’s generalized LOTO program. Moreover, IBC successfully asserted the employee misconduct defense by a supervisor, and all citations were vacated.
Secretary of Labor v. Mead Coated Board, OSHRC Docket No. 01-0551 (December 10, 2002). After an evidentiary hearing, OSHA’s experts were barred from testifying on Daubert grounds, and after a lengthy trial, 5 serious, 1 willful, and 1 repeat citations were vacated. The citations had alleged violations of the emergency response, respirator, HAZCOM, and LOTO standards.
American Petroleum Institute v. Secretary of Labor, Docket No. 00-60124 (5th Cir. April 11, 2000). OSHA had issued two interpretation letters that significantly changed two exemptions to the PSM standard. At the close of the litigation, OSHA withdrew both interpretation letters.
Chemcentral Corp. et al. v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, Secretary of Labor, et al., No. 97-CI-01384 (Commonwealth of Kentucky, Franklin Circuit Ct., March 30, 1998). For years, federal OSHA has interpreted the PSM standard to cover the blending of flammable liquids. Persuaded the Kentucky Labor Cabinet that federal OSHA’s interpretation of the PSM standard was incorrect, and all PSM citations were withdrawn.
Ben Robinson v. Texas Workers Compensation Commission, 934 S.W.2d 149 (Tex. Ct. App. 1996). Lead counsel in a challenge to a state safety program which was declared unconstitutional. Section 18(c) of the OSH Act preempted the state program. Attorneys’ fees were awarded.
In re Terra International, Inc., No. 110123 (Iowa Dist. Ct. 3d Jud. Dist. Woodbury Cty., January 24, 1995). Co-counsel in a 10-day televised hearing in a successful challenge to an OSHA inspection warrant.
Secretary of Labor v. Computer Science Raytheon, OSHRC Docket No. 93-0232 (OSHRC, November 28, 1994). Following the trial, the administrative law judge accepted the affirmative defense of reasonable alternative measures to compliance with a standard and vacated the failure to guard citations.
Mark has represented employers and major industry associations in rulemaking proceedings on OSHA standards, including lockout/tagout, process safety management, ergonomics, electronic submission of the injury and illness data, the draft Silica Rule, and hearing protection.
Before entering private practice, Mark was an assistant US attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, where he was first chair in 38 criminal trials. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce S. Mencher, Superior Court, Civil Division, Washington, DC. Finally, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Marvin G. Bober, Assistant Chief Judge, Office of Administrative Law Judges, United States Department of Labor, Washington, DC.
Mark is a member of the American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, and the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.
Mark is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board and a contributing editor to the Occupational Hazard Magazine. He has written several articles concerning recurring issues in OSHA criminal enforcement actions, including challenging warrants, defending prosecutions for false statements to OSHA, and using privilege to protect safety and health audits.
Mark frequently speaks at conferences for the petrochemical, ammonia refrigeration, pulp and paper, and manufacturing industries about an employer’s obligations under the OSH Act, an employer’s rights, duties and obligations during an OSHA inspection, managing an OSHA inspection to limit liability, defending OSHA citations, and the collateral consequences of those citations upon related civil and criminal litigation.
Mark has also been recognized by EHS Today twice as one of the 50 most influential leaders in the field of occupational safety and health.
A list of Mark’s articles and presentations is below.
The Warrant Issue: When OSHA Knocks, Should an Employer Demand a Warrant?
The Proposed OSHA Ergonomics Program Standard - Extraordinary Cost for Unproven Benefit?

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