It’s been a year of big changes for Alberta employers, but it’s finally time to get back to business as usual. Close on the heels of massive revisions to the province’s employment standards and occupational health and safety rules, the Alberta minimum wage will come to a final scheduled increase on October 1, 2018. To assist Read more
This month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its annual list of the top ten most frequently cited violations. The list is instructive of ongoing compliance challenges with particular standards and OSHA’s enforcement priorities. The list includes: Fall Protection Hazard Communication Scaffolding Respiratory Protection Lockout/Tagout Powered Industrial Trucks Ladders Electrical, Wiring Methods Machine Read more
This summer, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Final Rule that requires, among other things, certain employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from discrimination or retaliation. Employers under federal OSHA jurisdiction can meet this notice requirement by posting the current federal OSHA posting. Read more
Passed in 2015, the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act requires federal agencies to increase penalties for violations of the laws they enforce to maintain their deterrent effect. The Act requires agencies to adopt “catch up” penalties to account for lost time, in some cases decades, since the last adjustments were made and Read more
Earlier this month President Obama signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (Budget Act). Among other things, the act provides for mandatory increases in the penalties for violations of standards established under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The act calls for an initial penalty adjustment that will reflect the increase in the Read more
Workers in jobs provided by labor suppliers face greater risks of workplace illness, injury, and death. In California, temporary workers are 50 percent more likely to suffer an injury on the job than permanent workers in similar jobs. To help protect temp workers from hazards in the workplace, Cal/OSHA has a new fact sheet explaining Read more
There are 12 states that currently tie their minimum wage rates to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Each year, these states adjust their minimum wage rates for an increase in the CPI over the last year. Oregon and Washington are the latest states to officially announce their minimum wage rates for 2016. Because there was Read more
Virginia employers may soon face stricter injury reporting rules. A proposed workplace safety bill aligning Virginia reporting requirements in cases of severe work-related injuries and fatalities with federal occupational safety and health reporting requirements is moving forward in the state legislature. By comparison, the state measure will hold employers to more strident reporting standards than Read more
After a bill’s enactment this past November, Ontario employers must start reviewing their employment policies to stay compliant. New employer obligations come as a result of the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act (Bill 18). The Act was passed in an effort to provide support to Ontario workers. The first amendment will remove the Read more
Each year, employers subject to federal OSHA recordkeeping rules, or comparable provisions of OSHA-approved state job safety and health programs, are required to post in the workplace a summary of work-related injuries and illnesses for the previous year. OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, must be posted by Feb. 1, and remain Read more
