Safety/Health

11th Circuit topples hurricane-proof crane standards

03/11/2010

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Miami-Dade County’s ordinance requiring construction cranes to be able to withstand 140 mph winds is invalid. Construction firms had challenged the law, arguing that it would cost jobs, hinder workplace safety and was beyond the county’s (or the state’s) ability to regulate compliance.

Employee fired after registering complaint is now suing? You could be personally liable

03/09/2010

Here’s a new worry for Ohio HR pros who play a role in deciding whether to fire employees: You could end up being sued personally if it turns out that the discharge was wrongful under Ohio’s public policy exception to at-will employment. That means your own assets—not just the company’s—are at risk. Here’s how it works:

Workplace deaths down across North Carolina

03/01/2010

The number of deaths on the job plummeted to its lowest level ever, in 2009, according to a report issued by the North Carolina Department of Labor. Although some of the decrease could be a result of the slow economy—fewer workers might mean fewer accidents—measures that adjust for the number of workers fell as well.

OSHA loses patience, Freehold executive loses car

02/22/2010

When OSHA said it had received an anonymous complaint about safety conditions at one of Brocon Petroleum’s work sites, executives there had a pretty good idea who made the call. So the Freehold-based company fired the employee. OSHA did not take it well …

It’s time to post your OSHA forms

02/02/2010

Notice anything missing from your bulletin board? As of Feb. 1, most employers should have posted an official annual summary of their OSHA logs. If you haven’t done so, get cracking. With a nationwide OSHA audit looming, it’s more important than ever.

The inaccessible break room and the ADA

01/29/2010

Q. Our break/locker room is located upstairs. We have several employees (age 66 to 77) who are having trouble climbing the steep stairs due to advancing age. We’re afraid they’ll fall. They all say they’d crawl up the stairs before they quit.

Feds outlaw texting for commercial drivers

01/26/2010

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced a federal ban on texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. Even if your employees don’t drive big rigs, you need a policy prohibiting texting while driving. We show you the basics to include.

Disciplining safety violators: Don’t just holler

01/20/2010

What do your supervisors do when they catch workers breaking a major safety rule? Simply yell at the worker? A new court ruling highlights the importance of enforcing safety rules with discipline and documentation.

Provide security around workplace to prevent assaults—and crippling lawsuits

01/11/2010

Ohio’s workers’ compensation laws are complex, and employers that want to fight a claim may find themselves in court for years. That costs money. That’s why smart employers look for ways to prevent claims. One of those preventive methods involves the area sometimes referred to as the “zone of employment.”

OSHA cites grain processing plant