More businesses are finding fewer insurers willing to write their policies for certain types of coverage that are seeing rapidly escalating claims costs, particularly in some liability lines as well as property insurance in areas with exposure to natural catastrophes. When no insurers that are licensed in your state are willing to write a policy,…
Last week, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board finally approved changes to the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard that greatly loosen workplace restrictions that were implemented last year to protect California workers. The biggest news in the changes is that workers who have been fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear face masks as protection, regardless…
As more Americans get inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine, employers are wondering where they stand legally on requiring workers to get vaccinated, asking them whether they have been vaccinated and providing incentives for employees to get inoculated. On May 28, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its COVID-19 vaccination guidance to help employers navigate this…
After it canceled changes that were planned for its COVID-19 emergency standard last week, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board has introduced new, more relaxed revisions that it will vote on at its June 17 meeting. The Standards Board decided to cancel the revisions in response to the California Department of Public Health’s new guidance that vaccinated…
After Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board on June 3 approved revisions to the COVID-19 emergency standard, it voted a week later to withdraw those changes after a swift backlash to the rules. The current emergency standard took effect in November 2020. The vote was held during a special meeting the board held on June 9 to consider…
As the economy starts waking up from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and more companies rehire workers or bring them back to the workplace, businesses will be faced with a number of risks that they may not have had to contend with in the past. That’s the conclusion of a new report, “New Emerging…
When was the last time you or the person responsible for safety walked around your facility, warehouse, office or workplace and did an inspection? Your Injury and Illness Prevention Program states that the owner, supervisor or person with authority and responsibility shall conduct periodic workplace safety inspections. To maintain a safe and healthful workplace, OSHA…
As violence and mass shootings in American workplaces increasingly make the news, more and more businesses are taking added precautions to prevent acts of violence at their facilities, but they also face substantial costs if violence does erupt. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports nearly 2 million people suffer from workplace violence every year,…
The owners of a California flooring installation company allegedly underreported their payroll amounts to workers’ compensation insurers to the tune of $30 million, costing the insurance company almost $4 million in premiums. The men are each facing three felony charges. These are the potential consequences for those who deliberately falsify their payroll records and reports…
As more Americans are returning to the workplace, employers are now faced with the difficult issue of transitioning reluctant staff back as well as complaints and legal action from the most reluctant of workers. Already some returning workers have started to sue their employers, often accusing them of not adequately protecting their workers against COVID-19…