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On May 31, 2024, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) revisions to the “walkaround rule” went into effect. The walkaround rule sets forth a process for OSHA to conduct on-site inspections and previously allowed an employee representative to attend the inspection. What’s New with the Rule? The revisions to the walkaround rule remove […]
Twisters was a great summer movie. It had action, the hint of romance, subtle nods to original, questionable science and Glen Powell in a cowboy hat. What more can you ask for? I’m an employment lawyer living in the heart of tornado alley. So, I know a thing or two about tornados and what to […]
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on employers’ balancing of in-person policy with potential health risks, and recent court decisions have highlighted the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) concerted collaborative efforts in protecting whistleblowing employees speaking out about on-the-job safety. NLRB, OSHA Doubling Down on Workplace Protections Top officials […]
As a proud Gen Xer, I cannot say that I watch anything on television that would be considered “new” or “current.” So when I had the flu recently, I turned to an old reliable and watched reruns of The Office (which, if you refuse to cut the cord, can be found at all times on […]
A new measure signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that prohibits local workplace standards requiring drinking water and cooling measures increases the risk of worker deaths from heat exposure, according to worker safety advocates. “The bill in Florida threatens to strip millions of workers of fundamental heat protection measures, such as access to […]
Many of the pathways to boosting employee productivity require a significant investment of resources. Upgrading training and development programs, for example, can require licensing training platforms and pulling employees away from their work routines for training sessions. Updating technology to provide more efficient and innovative tools is another possible step toward higher productivity that can […]
A new law recently enacted in California requires employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan and could prove influential if other states follow suit. On Sept. 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 553 into law, requiring nearly all businesses to have their plans in place by July 1, 2024. Exempted from the law are […]
While the world held its collective breath last month as search teams desperately looked for a missing submersible carrying five Titanic tourists, news reports began circulating of a former OceanGate director of marine operations who was allegedly fired for raising safety concerns years earlier regarding that same vessel. Sadly, the rescue mission soon turned into […]
As summer heats up, employers in the Southwest should keep a close eye on how heat affects their workforce. Heat-related illness is a hot topic for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as state OSHA plans. Recently, an unusual settlement involved the Department of Labor (DOL) and OSHA over several heat […]
Last fall, we were furiously drafting mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies for a variety of employers, including healthcare facilities, employers with more than 100 employees, and federal contractors. With the back and forth of whether a court would block implementation of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates, many of those policies were left in a state of […]