While the number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation cases filed in California continues to grow, total workplace injury and illness claims in the state have fallen nearly 20% so far in 2020 compared to 2019. Through September, the state had recorded 47,412 COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims, accounting for 11.1% of all claims reported since the start…
Employees are your most valuable asset, but many businesses overlook the importance of having a workplace safety program in place to protect them. Loss control is about employers caring for their workers’ safety. Successful loss control programs are means of reducing injuries and the severity of a potential accident. If you want to reduce the…
As the Centers for Disease Control and other health authorities have recommended that everyone get a flu shot this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are wondering if they can require seasonal flu vaccinations for their staff. The CDC and the medical community recommend it in order to minimize the chances of double-infection…
The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has amended its 2021 rate filing to make its earlier recommended COVID-19 surcharge more equitable. The Rating Bureau is leaving unchanged its overall recommendation that benchmark rates be increased an average of 2.6% for policies incepting on or after Jan. 1, 2021. But it modified an earlier recommendation that…
A new law that takes effect in January 2021 will expand the California Family Rights Act to cover even small employers – those with five or more staff. The law, which requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid a year for family and medical leave purposes, currently only applies to employers…
News last year of McDonald’s Corp. dismissing its chief executive for having a consensual sexual relationship with an employee reflects the hardening stance in corporate America towards inter-office romances. Many large companies have instituted zero-tolerance policies for managers who are romantically involved with company employees. The companies are mainly cracking down to reduce their chances…
If your company does not offer its staff a 401(k) plan, you need to be aware of deadlines for registering your employees in the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program. The program is designed to help California workers who do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan start socking away money for their retirement. Employers with…
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and more employers bring staff back to the workplace, many businesses are considering implementing mandatory vaccination policies for seasonal flus as well as the coronavirus. A safe and widely accessible vaccine would allow businesses to open their workplaces again and start returning to a semblance of normalcy. But employers…
With more wildfires raging across the West, it’s not only homes that are being burned to the ground. Hundreds of business owners have seen their facilities succumb to the flames. If you have a business in an area at risk of wildfires, just like homeowners, you need to take steps to reduce your exposure and…
Governor Newsom has signed legislation that creates a new framework for COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claims. SB 1159, which takes effect immediately, partly replaces an executive order that Newsom made on March 18 and which expired on July 5. That order required all employees working outside the home who contracted COVID-19 be eligible for workers’ compensation…