Safety/Health

Long COVID may affect 7% of infected employees

02/07/2023

A study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that, while long-COVID prevalence was highest among workers who were hospitalized during an acute stage of disease, even some workers who needed limited medical care following infection developed long-COVID symptoms.

Spending bill promotes mental-health parity

01/17/2023

Tucked into the mammoth omnibus government spending bill President Biden signed into law on Dec. 29 was a provision that expands the number of public employees whose health insurance plans must now cover mental-health services on a par with coverage offered for other conditions.

Appeals court: Federal contractors don’t have to ensure their employees are vaccinated

12/22/2022

In a 2-1 decision, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking a federal mandate requiring federal contractors to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID as a condition of receiving government work.

Ready for inspection? Dollar Tree was not

12/21/2022

A recent OSHA ruling is clear: Fix safety issues or face the consequences.

Surgeon General says workplace mental health is a top priority

12/20/2022

HR is “the epicenter of employee care,” in the words of Vivek H. Murthy’s new report on improving workplace culture.

Medical cannabis bill is back in Louisiana

12/15/2022

Veterans and first responders who use medical cannabis should be shielded from workplace discrimination, urge some military members and first responders in Louisiana. Last year, a bill to do just that failed in the state legislature. It’s back this session.

Lessons from Walmart workplace killings

12/13/2022

What can other employers learn from this latest episode of workplace violence, and how can they improve their prevention programs?

DOL cracks down on child labor violations

12/09/2022

DOL investigators found 101 teenagers worked impermissible hours at multiple McDonald’s restaurants in Pittsburgh. The DOL fined the franchisee $57,332 for violations of child labor laws at the 13 McDonald’s locations the husband and wife operated.

Viral tripledemic means missed work

12/06/2022

Influenza hospitalizations increased 30% Thanksgiving week, taking up over 11,000 beds. It’s expected to get worse, says Health and Human Services. COVID-19 cases are again climbing, albeit modestly. Respiratory syncytial virus infects many infants and young children. All signs lead to a winter tripledemic of illness and missed work.

Guns in the workplace? Watch the Supreme Court