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Should employers pay for workers’ second-hand smoke exposure?


November 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Illnesses, Lawsuits, Special Report, Worker health

secondhandsmoke

As states pass non-smoking laws, fewer service employees are exposed to customers’ second-hand smoke. But should companies be liable for their workers who still encounter it on the job? Some businesses are facing lawsuits.

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Stay home! Flu-ridden employees still coming to work


October 22, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Special Report, What do you think?, swine flu

Flu

Employees across the country have a message for their co-workers during this H1N1 flu season: Don’t come in if you’re sick.

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Can she really just sit at home and collect comp?


October 16, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, cost of safety, new court decision

comp-costs

In some states, when workers are placed on permanent partial disability, it’s expected that injured employees will make a “good-faith effort” to find alternate employment they can perform. However, one state court just found a reason to overturn that 15-year precedent and allow a worker to keep collecting.

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Obama bans texting while driving


October 9, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Special Report, Transportation safety, What do you think?, cell phone and driving

pda

President Obama has signed an Executive Order banning 4.5 million employees from texting while driving.

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Employee injured at gym: Why was it covered by workers’ comp?


October 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, new court decision

Aerobics

If one of your employees was injured in an exercise class, you wouldn’t expect that to be covered by workers’ comp. But that’s not how one court saw it.

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Is violent worker protected from firing by disability law?


September 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Special Report, Worker health, disabilities and safety, new court decision

handicap

A diabetic employee can’t control his hypoglycemic episodes. In recent episodes, he’s become disoriented around dangerous equipment and threatened violence against co-workers. Can you fire him for safety reasons, or is he protected under disability law?

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Worker ruptures tendon climbing into truck and applies for comp


September 11, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Injuries, Special Report, Transportation safety, What do you think?, Workers' comp, new court decision

truck

Workers’ comp boards and courts draw a fine line between what is and what isn’t a work-related injury that qualifies for benefits. See if you can guess how the court ruled in this case:

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Doc orders weight-loss surgery: Will workers’ comp cover it?


September 4, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Special Report, What do you think?, Worker health, new court decision

comp-costs

Imagine this: An employee, who happens to be morbidly obese, is injured at work. Doctors say, before he has surgery to correct the workplace injury, he needs weight-loss surgery.

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Will violent, bloody video stop people from texting and driving?


August 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Fatality, Special Report, Transportation safety, What do you think?, cell phone and driving, safety video/photo

TextDrive

A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, more than 1.5 million people have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.

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Screening out unsafe workers — legally


August 20, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Alcohol/drugs, Injuries, Lawsuits, Special Report, What's Working in Safety, Worker health

bleeding-arm

What do you do with employees who have a history of injuries? Fire them and they may sue, but leave them on the job and they might harm themselves or others.

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Was he fired for safety violation or racial discrimination?


August 14, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Electrical safety, Lawsuits, Special Report, lockout/tagout, new court decision

lockout-tagout2

Have you ever fired someone for violating a company safety rule? In this case, a company did just that and then found itself in court on a charge of racial discrimination.

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Company takes ‘em bowling, then pays big for comp


August 7, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Injuries, Special Report, What do you think?, Workers' comp

bowling

Imagine this: A company sponsors a Family Fun night of bowling for its employees and their families to improve morale. One employee injures his back while bowling. Does he get workers’ comp because this was an employer-sponsored event?

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Employer surveillance ‘harmed’ employee, court awards 1 million


July 31, 2009 by Jim Burger
Posted in: Lawsuits, Special Report, Workers' comp, new court decision

jury-box2

Have you ever been suspicious of a workers’ comp claim? Be careful. A recent ruling appears to draw an important — and, in this case, extremely expensive — distinction between “reasonable” and what you might call “reflexive” suspicion.

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Worker hurt in off-duty exercise class — why company had to pay


July 24, 2009 by Jim Burger
Posted in: Injuries, Lawsuits, Special Report, Workers' comp, new court decision

exercise

You hear it all the time: Sedentary, overweight and out-of-shape employees can be a huge drain when it comes to health insurance, workers’ comp and other costs. Whip ‘em into shape and you’ll save, save, save!

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The Top Safety Stories of 2009!


July 21, 2009 by Luke
Posted in: Special Report, Uncategorized

topten

You have clicked, and we have listened!

Enjoy the fruits of your Web surfing labor by taking a look at your top choices from 2009!

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Top 10 safety stories of 2008


July 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Alcohol/drugs, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Injuries, Investigations, OSHA news, PPE (protective equipment), Research on safety, Safety training, Special Report, Who Got Fined and Why?, Worker health

New regulations; accidents with multiple fatalities; the President-elect’s take on what OSHA should be doing. What is the top safety story of 2008?

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Company pays big: Worker’s lax safety causes fatality


July 17, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Fatality, Lawsuits, Special Report, Transportation safety, cost of safety

cost-of-safety

A Texas drilling company will pay $16 million to the family of a woman who was killed when equipment fell off its tractor trailer and onto the victim’s SUV.

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Court complicates payment for donning and doffing safety gear


July 10, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: PPE (protective equipment), Special Report, new court decision

hard-hats-not-worn

A new federal court ruling further complicates whether you have to pay employees for the time they spend putting on and taking off safety gear. This recent ruling is a split decision for employers.

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Recordkeeping checks coming back


July 1, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: OSHA news, Recordkeeping, Special Report, enforcement, inspections

inspector

For the last eight years, OSHA has de-emphasized recordkeeping inspections. That’s about to change.

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Top 10 OSHA standards that drive safety managers crazy


June 26, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Forklift safety, OSHA news, PPE (protective equipment), Special Report

osha-logo

Ever wish you could have someone translate an OSHA standard into plain English? You’re not alone.

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Three huge settlements for work injuries to illegal immigrants


June 19, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Lawsuits, Special Report, construction safety, cost of safety

costs-stack-up

In the last two weeks, three undocumented workers have reached settlements totaling $3.85 million for workplace accidents in New York.

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Worker attacked by snack machine sues for comp


June 12, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, cost of safety

vending-machine

An employee helps a co-worker get a stuck bag of chips out of a workplace vending machine and in the process fractures his hip. Does he get workers’ comp or not?

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OSHA’s new tactic to hit companies with more fines


May 29, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Fatality, OSHA news, Special Report, Who Got Fined and Why?, cost of safety

who-got-fined

While it didn’t cite Wal-Mart for a violation of a specific standard, OSHA has used its General Duty Clause to fine the retailer in the trampling death of a worker last November.

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Were employees too tired to work safely? 50 killed


May 22, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Fatality, Special Report, Transportation safety, cost of safety, fatigue

sleepy-worker

Imagine this: Two of your employees who work together both get little sleep before performing a safety-sensitive task. Then, the two are involved in an incident that kills 50 people.

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Cell phone bans to reach new levels for safety?


May 15, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Injuries, Special Report, Transportation safety

cellphone-incar

A company had banned its employees from talking or texting on cell phones while working for safety reasons. Now it’s taking the cell phone ban one step further.

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Workers’ comp rates rising again: Here’s why


May 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Falls, Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, construction safety, cost of safety

bad-investments

California authorities have made massive allegations of workers’ comp fraud against an employer.

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12 common mistakes in slip, trip and fall prevention


May 1, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Falls, Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, cost of safety

wet-floor

Slips, trips and falls are routinely one of the top causes of injuries in workplaces. They also subtract from a company’s bottom line due to medical and workers’ comp insurance, lost productivity and retraining costs.

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Does workers’ comp cover injured employee’s home security system?


April 24, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Special Report, Workers' comp, cost of safety

comp-costs

No question about this: Workers’ Compensation covers medical treatment for employees injured on the job. However, does a home security system qualify as medical treatment?

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Can employer deny overtime to worker on light duty?


April 17, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Lawsuits, Special Report, Worker health, Workers' comp, cost of safety, disabilities and safety

timeclock

Blanket policies barring employees on light or limited duty from working overtime violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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OSHA fines newspaper for reporter’s fall down stadium stairs


April 10, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Falls, Fatality, OSHA news, Special Report, Who Got Fined and Why?

inspector

Not only is this a bizarre OSHA fine, it could set a dangerous precedent. The agency has fined a company for an employee’s fatal injury that happened while he was away from his home office on assignment.

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Top 10 workplace injuries that affect the bottom line


April 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Falls, Injuries, Research on safety, Special Report, Transportation safety, cost of safety

cash-money

Which types of on-the-job injuries cause employees to miss the most time from work?

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Did injured worker deserve lifetime income benefits?


March 27, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Special Report, Workers' comp, new court decision

who-got-fined2

What constitutes loss of use of feet and hands to qualify for permanent disability? A state court says it’s not necessary for employees to actually injure their feet or hands for that to be the case.

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Are injury lawyers licking their chops over down economy?


March 20, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Lawsuits, Special Report, Workers' comp, cost of safety

costs-stack-up

Who has more work during the down economy? A lawyer who represents people injured on the job expects he may be getting more work.

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Fired employee sues, says co-worker tried to punch him


March 13, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Lawsuits, Special Report, Uncategorized

office-violence

Employees who complain about workplace safety and then are fired can successfully sue to get their jobs back, along with back pay and benefits. But is an unlanded punch from a co-worker enough to make a workplace unsafe?

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5 keys to weed out injury-prone workers — legally


March 6, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Posted in: Injuries, Lawsuits, Special Report

trip-and-fall

Just how tricky is it to use tests to weed out injury-prone workers without getting dragged into court for alleged discrimination? Statistics from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission spell it out.

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