As more Americans work from home than ever before, many employers are wondering about their obligations under OSHA as well as how to reduce the chances that workers may be injured while telecommuting. Obviously, the chances of an injury when working from home are small. The most common issue that is likely to arise long-term…
Due to confusion among California employers, Cal/OSHA has revised guidance for the emergency COVID-19 regulations that took effect on Nov. 30, 2020. Under the emergency regulations, employers were required to take a number of actions to safeguard their workers against the coronavirus, but the rules have caused much confusion among businesses. Guidance issued in December…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so does the number of workplace-related lawsuits filed by workers across the country against their employers. The pandemic laid the groundwork for new local, state, and federal laws and regulations governing a number of workplace issues like workplace safety, family and medical leave, and remote work. And it created new…
Employers with 10 or more employees must post their completed Cal/OSHA Form 300A by Feb. 1 and keep it posted in their workplace until April 30. The form must be posted where the company usually posts other employee notices, like minimum wage and workplace safety notices. Form 300A summarizes the total number of fatalities, missed…
With so many people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, logic would dictate that instances of workplace sexual harassment would have plummeted since people are not in the office or any other facility together. Logic would be wrong. Sexual harassment of employees by other employees or superiors has moved online, according to recent reports.…
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has affirmed that employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees, subject to some limitations. The EEOC’s updated guidance offers direction regarding employer-mandated vaccinations, accommodations for employees who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief, and certain implications of pre-vaccination medical screening questions under the Americans…
The commercial insurance rate hikes that have been ongoing since 2017 are expected to continue into 2021 with double-digit increases for most lines of insurance, according to a new report. The survey of insurance executives by Alera Group Inc. forecasts that commercial rates will increase across all lines nationwide by an average of 11.6% this…
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act provisions. The legislation also boosts unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans, as well as reopening and…
Even businesses that own fleets of autos sometimes use vehicles that do not belong to them. Often, a business asks an employee to run an errand or visit a customer or vendor using that employee’s car. The business may become legally liable for anything an employee acting on the business’s behalf does while behind the…
As 2021 gets underway and while you’re making New Year’s resolutions, you should also resolve to review the state of your business’s insurance program. The best way to do that is to start by reviewing your enterprise’s activities in the past year and how they may affect your insurance policies in the new year. What…