Safety/Health

Prepare for more aggressive OSHA oversight of ‘high-gravity’ safety violations

02/07/2023

OSHA just raised the stakes for employers that repeatedly tolerate or encourage dangerous conditions on job sites. Enforcement guidance issued Jan. 26 grants OSHA regional administrators and directors greater authority to issue immediate citations when inspectors identify particularly hazardous safety violations.

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.