Safety/Health

You must protect customers—Even from off-Duty workers

07/29/2008

If you think your employment law risk for each employee disappears the moment the person walks out your door each night, think again. An important court ruling shows how your organization can be liable even for off-duty employees who loiter near the workplace—and in some cases, even when they’re driving home!

Cadbury sued for poor taste

07/28/2008

Three former taste testers for Parsippany-based Cadbury Adams USA are suing the company for injuries sustained when they tasted an experimental sweetener. They were sampling flavorings for products such as Trident gum and Certs mints when they tried a substance that burned their mouths and lips and made their hearts race …

Into every news column …

07/28/2008

Into every news column … a little sunshine should fall, at least once in a while. Two Consolidated Edison mechanics were clearing a manhole in Manhattan when they witnessed a pedestrian struck by a car. They moved their truck to block traffic and tended to the victim until help arrived …

Legally speaking, sheriff and deputies aren’t county employees

07/25/2008

Gary Edwards, Deputy Deborah Nelson and Deputy Anthony Smith arrived on the scene to find Billy Ray Cook crawling on his stomach in the street. Upon spotting the officers, Cook began yelling, “Please don’t let them shoot me.” Cook strenuously resisted being cuffed and shackled, so the officers shocked him with their Tasers. Unfortunately, this—combined with a massive quantity of cocaine in Cook’s system—killed him …

You could be personally liable for injuries under N.C. workers’ comp law

07/25/2008

On-the-job injuries generally are covered by the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act and the required workers’ compensation insurance. That means employers are not liable for negligence, and that employees receive benefits under the act whether or not their employers were negligent and whether or not the employees were contributorily negligent. But in certain cases the employer and its managers—as well as co-workers—can be liable for certain workplace injuries …

How employers can stick to their guns under the BSEPA

07/21/2008

Georgia’s Business Security and Employee Privacy Act (BSEPA) took effect July 1, 2008. The law expands employees’ rights to transport lawfully registered firearms in their vehicles even if they are traveling to work. The law will not turn the workplace into shooting galleries, but it will limit employers’ rights to search employees’ vehicles …

Are employee assistance programs required?

07/18/2008

Q. I understand that many companies offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) as an added benefit for employees who may have drug or alcohol abuse problems. Are we required by law to do so? …

What you need to know about Florida’s new Guns at Work Law

07/14/2008

Last April, the Florida Legislature passed the Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008. Many call it by a much less official name: the Guns at Work Law. The law expands employees’ rights to transport lawfully registered firearms in their vehicles even if they are traveling to work …

Metropolis kicks butts

07/09/2008

The city of Metropolis—Illinois’ adopted home of Superman—has offered to pay its employees $1,000 each if they can give up smoking for one year …

Companies try doctors’ bonuses to reduce employee depression

07/08/2008

A group of Minnesota employers is piloting a pay-for-performance program to combat employee depression. The program is sponsored by the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) …