Administrative Law encompasses the following types of matters: Federal and State OSHA citation appeals, wage and hour claims defense, labor laws and regulations, training, and State and Federal Workplace Compliance Issues with OSHA.
Employment Litigation encompasses discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblowing claims and any other type of litigation regarding employment.
The firm's recent cases produced victories in several major accidents and investigations, including the Bellevue tower crane WISHA citations (dismissed) and two other crane tipover accident cases. Our office also won dismissals in OSHA, citation appeals in New Jersey, Colorado, and Wisconsin on cases involving lockout/tagout charges and in Washington on employment discrimination claims Our firm has been retained to investigate workplace accidents and fatalities in a wide set of industries and as well as to give safety compliance training seminars. He also won a wage-and-hour case establishing an "agricultural work exemption" for fiber (tree) farm employers. Mr. Ehlke has been recognized on the Super Lawyers list five times and by the American Trial Lawyers of Association as a Top 100 Trial Attorney in Washington State. He gives seminars at national and regional conferences and writes monthly articles for a national magazine on issues of workplace safety, employment discrimination, workers' compensation retaliation claims, labor, and administrative law. Currently, he represents members of two trade associations and serves as labor counsel to a Florida manufacturer, and is defending fatality and explosion cases in Midwest and West Coast States.
In a recent construction industry case before the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals matter regarding fall protection citations, there were the following issues: 1. Did the Department properly cite the employer for a violation of WAC 296-155-24510? 2. Did the Department properly cite the employer for a violation of WAC 296-155-24505(1)? 3. May the employer be relieved of responsibility for a violation of WAC 296-155-24510 under authority of RCW 49.17.120(5)? The court vacated all of the citations due to unpreventable employee misconduct in accordance with RCW 49.17.120(5)(a) and the Department's failure to prove the Employer did not have a fall protection safety plan.
For more information, please visit the following websites:
Mechanical Power Press
Fall Protection
