Archive for the 'OSHA' Category

Why Bedbugs Draw Swarm of Plaintiff’s Attorneys

December 15, 2010 at 6:00 am by: HR Hero Line

Third of four parts
When bedbugs invade your office, factory, or other building, they aren’t the only pests employers will be feverishly wanting to get rid of. The other dreaded workplace pestilence — plaintiffs’ attorneys — may not be far behind, scratching around for an opportunity to file bug-related litigation for any number of reasons. As [...]

OSHA Says Employers Must Ban Texting while Driving

December 2, 2010 at 9:00 pm by: Kansas Employment Law Letter

by Boyd Byers
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an initiative to combat work-related distracted driving. OSHA’s first point of focus is texting while driving.

Trying to Go Paperless? Guidelines for Electronic Personnel Documents

August 19, 2010 at 9:00 pm by: Indiana Employment Law Letter

by Joseph C. Pettygrove
Employers are increasingly looking at the feasibility of scanning hard copies of various types of employment documents and retaining only the electronic copies in the routine course of business. Generally speaking, you are allowed to do that if you ensure that your electronic record maintenance systems are secure, accurate, reliable, and accessible [...]

New OSHA ‘Sheriff’ Packs Heat, But It May Backfire

June 24, 2010 at 9:00 pm by: Jim Stanley

By Jim Stanley, president, FDRsafety
When Labor Secretary Hilda Solis warned business last year that there was ”a new sheriff in town,” she wasn’t kidding — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is packing big new six-guns. The only problem is that it may be shooting itself in the foot.

Workplace Violence and the ADA

February 18, 2010 at 9:52 pm by: Alaska Employment Law Letter

Imagine for a moment the employee who seems just a little off — having disproportionate negative reactions to criticism, having strange obsessions with weapons or death, being unusually hot-tempered, demanding, or controlling, or having other odd or erratic behaviors.
Now imagine that despite the employee’s peculiarity, he’s an above-average worker and his job performance is otherwise [...]

Reminder about OSHA Posting Requirement

January 22, 2010 at 10:40 am by: Wisconsin Employment Law Letter

It’s time to post your Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A, the summary of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year. Unless you have 10 or fewer employees or fall within one of the industries normally excused from the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s (OSH Act) recordkeeping and posting requirements, you’re required [...]

What to Do When Government Officials Unexpectedly Show Up

January 8, 2010 at 1:40 pm by: Maryland Employment Law Letter

by James P. Gillece, Jr.
As an employer, you may have already experienced the discomfort of having the “Men in Black” — i.e., agents or investigators from a government agency — appear on your doorstep. With increased enforcement efforts by various federal and state agencies, the likelihood that you’ll be visited by regulators isn’t an “if” [...]

Is Workplace Violence on the Rise?

November 13, 2009 at 1:14 pm by: Employers Workers' Comp Alert

by Nancy Germond
What do the current economic environment and workplace violence have in common? Is there a correlation between the two? The economic downturn has certainly caused a lot of devastation, with many individuals losing their jobs, homes, and savings. Even employees who were lucky to survive their company’s layoffs still face workforce challenges since [...]

OSHA Fines MillerCoors for Employee Electrocution

October 9, 2009 at 4:22 pm by: Colorado Employment Law Letter

by Jim Goh
Behind efforts to assist organized labor and improve the balance between work and family, increasing workplace safety is a top priority for President Barack Obama and the 111th Congress. Both the President and congressional leaders have vowed more funding for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and [...]

What to Do When Contagious Illnesses Come to Work

September 18, 2009 at 10:28 am by: Mississippi Employment Law Letter

by Susan Fahey Desmond
You’ve probably had enough of hearing about the swine flu (now called the H1N1 virus). It’s front-page news across the world. We are now in a full pandemic as defined by the World Health Organization, but the first thing to understand is not to panic. Your company may already have been required [...]