by Jeanine Poole
New Hampshire’s requirements for employer safety programs are changing. Passed in June, House Bill 1587 goes into effect on January 1, 2013. The new law provides:
- Employers with 15 or more employees (formerly 10 or more employees) must have a written safety program filed with the New Hampshire Department of Labor (NHDOL).
- Once filed, the program must be updated and filed with the NHDOL every two years (formerly biennially on January 1).
- Employers with 15 or more employees (formerly five or more employees) must establish a joint loss safety committee.
- The NHDOL can assess administrative penalties up to $250 (formerly $1,000) per day for each day of noncompliance.
- The workers’ compensation safety inspection fund is repealed. Collected penalties now go to the state’s general fund.
For more information on the safety program changes, see “School’s—oops! that’s the legislature’s—out for summer!” in the August 2012 issue of New Hampshire Employment Law Letter.
Jeanine Poole is an editor of New Hampshire Employment Law Letter and a partner with Sulloway & Hollis, P.L.L.C., in Concord. She can be reached at jpoole@sulloway.com.