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Safety/Health

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

01/11/2010

OSHA has cited Minnesota-based Endres Processing LLC and its subsidiary Endres Processing Ohio for numerous hazards at the companies’ Upper Sandusky plant. Endres manufactures animal feed from unused dairy products. OSHA cited large amounts of dust in the plant as both a fire and breathing hazard.

OSHA eschews Mickey Mouse approach with Disney World

01/11/2010

OSHA has cited Walt Disney World following two fatal accidents at the amusement park. Last July, a monorail train operator was killed when a switching error brought two trains together on the same track. In August, an actor died from injuries suffered during Disney’s new “Pirates of the Caribbean” stage show.

Take a proactive approach to prevent workplace violence

01/07/2010

Recent workplace shootings in Orlando, Fla., and Fort Hood serve as powerful reminders that employers must heed signs that an employee could act out and harm co-workers or supervisors. There were 768 violence-related deaths in the workplace in 2008. Despite those disturbing numbers, many employers stick their heads in the sand. They put their assets and employees at risk by gambling that “it couldn’t happen here.”

The cost of a burned-out light bulb: $12.7 million

12/29/2009

Thinking about forming a safety committee? Here’s incentive: During the night, a Seattle firefighter mistook the fire pole for a restroom door. (A safety light that illuminated the pole had burned out.) He fell 18 feet and suffered spine and brain injuries … A jury awarded him $12.7 million.

When firing employees, take reasonable security measures

12/24/2009

Some employees get mad when they learn they’re being terminated. Some may even try to abscond with valuable company property or records as a way to retaliate for losing their jobs. That’s why employers should take reasonable measures to protect records and property—even if that means escorting the fired employee out of the building and preventing access to work spaces and equipment.

Do we need to provide a ‘sick couch’?

12/23/2009

Q. Are we required to provide a couch or cot on the premises in the event that an employee becomes ill? Are there any laws that dictate safety or health reasons for doing this?

5 steps help prevent workplace violence

12/22/2009

An effective workplace violence prevention program begins with employee screening and ends with publicizing a tough anti-violence policy. Here’s a primer on reducing the chances of employee violence erupting at your workplace. You can also download our Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit, containing proven violence-prevention strategies and sample policies.

When should we request fitness-for-duty exam?

12/18/2009

Q. One of our employees recently told her supervisor that she has a heart condition. She went home early the other day because she wasn’t feeling well. Can we request that she get a doctor’s note clearing her to work?

Document your concern about employee before ordering a fitness-for-duty exam

12/17/2009

The ADA prohibits employers from demanding fitness-for-duty exams unless the exams are “job related and consistent with business necessity.” Employers can demand an exam if they have a reasonable belief that an employee’s medical condition will impair his or her ability to perform essential job functions or will pose a safety threat. If you believe either is the case, document your objective and reasonable beliefs before demanding the exam.