Safety/Health

In tough cases, safety first: Attempted suicide at work grounds for discharge

09/14/2009

Employers don’t have to put up with employees who pose a safety hazard to others—or themselves. While suicidal behavior may indicate an employee is suffering from a serious health condition under the FMLA or a disability under the ADA, it isn’t an excuse for violating safety rules.

Health & safety: Understanding North Carolina’s OSHA law

08/28/2009

In 1970, the federal government passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Then in 1973, North Carolina passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina (OSHANC). The North Carolina act has its own administrative and review procedures that aren’t always similar to its federal counterpart.

Pittsburgh’s WWII atomic plant workers can get compensation

08/26/2009

The DOL has set up a special fund to compensate employees who worked at the Westinghouse Atomic Power Development Plant in East Pittsburgh from 1942 to 1944. They and their relatives are eligible for payments under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Workers at the plant may have been exposed to damaging radiation in the race to build the first atomic bomb.

Disability isn’t a free pass to insubordination; enforce behavior rules with all employees

08/20/2009

Some employees with genuine disabilities may think they can use their physical or mental conditions as an excuse to break workplace behavior rules. They can’t. As long as those rules are clearly explained and enforced equally, you don’t have to listen to my-disability-made-me-do-it excuses. You can lower the boom.

Are we liable for injuries to the cleaning crew?

08/20/2009

Q. We employ a husband/wife team to clean our office. We pay them on a monthly contract basis and provide a Form 1099 at year-end. Would we be liable for an injury they might suffer while cleaning?

Preparing your workplace for a possible H1N1 flu pandemic

08/18/2009

This spring’s swine flu scare might have been just a warm-up act for a far more serious flu pandemic this fall. If you took steps to prepare your workplace for an outbreak in April, dust off those plans and check them against our list of things to do to make sure your organization keeps running in the coming months.

From reality TV to ‘wellness ambassador’ at medical lab firm

08/07/2009

Quest Diagnostics is so serious about employee health that it calls the director of its wellness programs the “wellness ambassador.” Bill Germanakos, the 2007 season winner of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” reality TV show, oversees HealthyQuest, which helps the firm’s 41,000 eligible employees change unhealthy behaviors.

Report blasts Austin’s construction safety record

08/04/2009

According to a critical report surveying the construction industry, 20% of Austin-area construction workers last year reported on-the-job injuries that required a trip to the doctor, and 20% of those employees said employers refused to pay their medical bills.

Update your policies: North Carolina bans texting while driving

07/27/2009

Cell phones, BlackBerries, iPods, iPhones and GPS devices—even laptop computers—all offer important travel information and productive work connectivity for employees on the go. But using those devices while operating a vehicle is also dangerous. That’s why North Carolina recently passed a law, effective Dec. 1, making it unlawful for a person operating a motor vehicle to send text or e-mail messages while the vehicle is in motion.

Want healthier staff? Cash incentives work best

07/24/2009

First, employers suggested. Then, they encouraged. Then pleaded. Now more U.S. employers are turning to the almighty dollar to get their employees to change their pound-packing, chain-smoking, sedentary ways. Despite the sour economy, more employers are creating and expanding wellness programs in recent years. And they’re increasingly turning to financial rewards and penalties to increase participation.