Public health experts say company sick-time policies may be helping H1N1 (swine) flu spread more easily.
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Tags: H1N1, paid sick days, swine flu
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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Tags: lawsuit, non-smoking laws, second-hand smoke
What measure to prevent the spread of H1N1 (swine) flu do you hear about most in the media? For the moment – until the H1N1 vaccine is available, it’s hand washing. But does it really hinder the spread of swine flu?
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Tags: Centers for Disease Control, flu shot, H1N1 swine flu, hand washing, send employees home
When it comes to workplace injuries, have you ever asked yourself, “Is there something in the water?” A recent magazine article kinda suggests that.
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Tags: Men's Health, top 10 accident-prone cities, workplace injuries
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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Tags: Americans with Disabilities Act, diabetes, disability, fire worker for safety reasons, hypoglycemic episode
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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Tags: lap-band surgery, morbid obesity, weight-loss surgery, Workers' comp, workplace injury
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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Tags: fitness for duty, history of injuries, safety-sensitive jobs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released updated guidance that recommends action non-healthcare employers should take against swine (H1N1) and seasonal flu during the fall and winter of 2009-2010.
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California is one of only two states to have regulations that require employers to take steps to reduce employee injuries or deaths due to heat stress. It’s also been issuing fines and even shutting down some companies that have violated the regs. But now a lawsuit says California isn’t doing enough.
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Tags: ACLU lawsuit, agricultural workers, CAL-OSHA, heat stress, United Farm Workers Union
The world isn’t fair. Some people can eat Twinkies all day, every day and never gain an ounce.
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An employee says she was harassed at work, and that caused her “mental injury.” She applied for workers’ comp payments.
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Tags: anxiety and stress, doctors' opinions, harassed, mental injury, Workers' comp
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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Tags: new regulations, Obama, OSHA, top 10
The World Health Organization has declared a swine flu pandemic, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.
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Should you add “recession stress” to the list of possible root causes for workplace injuries?
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A few weeks ago, cable news seemed saturated with news about the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and its spread to the U.S. Did government officials and the media over-react?
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Tags: new strain of the flu, protect your employees from flu, swine flu overblown
With the recent swine flu scare, we’ve heard the plea once again for ill employees to stay home instead of spreading sickness at work. Now you can send the message anonymously, “Stay home when you’re sick,” specifically to those who ignore that advice.
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Tags: CDC, e-cards, stay home when you're sick
Companies face two new workplace health and safety rules: one on food flavorings, another on combustible dust.
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Tags: bronchiolitis obliterans, combustible dust explosions, diacetyl
Just as people are being asked to stay home from non-essential work in Mexico to stop the spread of the swine flu, a pandemic in the U.S. might require similar steps.
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Tags: businesses prepare for flu pandemic, germ control, workplace access and security
California is serious about providing outdoor workers with relief from heat: Three top officials for a now out-of-business farm labor contractor face involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of a teen from heat stress.
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Tags: heat stress, involuntary manslaughter, Maria Vasquez Jimenez, relief from heat
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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Tags: Americans with Disabilities Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, light duty, overtime, United Airlines
Popcorn lung may not be limited to workers in popcorn factories, according to a recent report by an investigative journalist.
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Tags: bronchiolitis obliterans, diacetyl, food flavorings, popcorn lung
Just two states, California and Washington, have specific safety regulations to protect outdoor workers from heat-related illness. Now, California has clarified what employers have to do to protect workers.
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Tags: CAL-OSHA, heat stress, outdoor workers
Consider this Scenario: Your employee “Chuck” has had more than his share of minor safety incidents and near misses. Why is he more accident prone than others? A new study says he might have adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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Tags: accident prone, accidents, Adult ADHD, near misses, new study
Imagine this: One of your employees is on pain medication that could compromise his safety and productivity, as well as that of co-workers. But, because of state law, you have to accommodate the employee. Not only that, but federal law says the pain medication is illegal.
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Tags: accommodate, drug test, medical marijuana, pain management, terminate
OSHA isn’t the only federal safety and health agency that can come into your workplace to perform an investigation. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) can enter a facility to investigate threats against employee health and safety.
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Tags: diacetyl, investigation, NIOSH, Sensient Flavors International
Workers who return to the job quickly after an injury or illness owe a lot to their managers, a new study says.
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A woman who claims she was disabled by a co-worker’s perfume can move forward with her workers’ comp lawsuit.
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Tags: perfume, permanently disabled, smoking, Workers' comp
Recent statistics show OSHA continues to focus its inspections on specific problems, rather than conduct them randomly.
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Tags: fatalities, inspections, OSHA, repeat violations
Recently, industry has increased the use of the solvent 1-bromopropane (1-BP) as a substitute for other banned substances. Now, scientists are looking into potential problems with 1-BP.
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Tags: 1-bromopropane, hazardous substances, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, NIOSH
Disability laws don’t trump OSHA rules on required personal protective equipment (PPE).
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Tags: ADA, disability, PPE
Want to help keep workers healthy this flu season? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends three steps to stay healthy.
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Tags: CDC, flu, stay healthy, vaccine
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