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Federal OSHA’s revised rules for recording workplace injuries and illnesses took effect January 1. Although they’re not yet formally implemented in California, a Cal/ OSHA spokesman told CEA the agency expects the rules to be officially adopted by mid-February and is advising California employers to start following the new federal guidelines now for all 2002 […]
After 10 years of debate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a national ergonomics standard that covered 102 million workers and took effect in January. But the much-criticized rule—which some said would cost businesses more than $100 billion per year—has now been scrapped by Congress, within weeks of President Bush’s taking office. And the […]
In the eleventh hour of the Clinton administration, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a spate of new regulations. These include a new form replacing the OSHA 200 injury and illness log and new rules for recording workplace injuries. The new form and rules are scheduled to take effect next year. However, President […]
For the entire month of February each year, most public and private employers are required to post an OSHA 200 Log in a conspicuous place. This “Log and Summary of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses” calls for details about on-the-job injuries and illnesses that occurred between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding year. Unless […]
Xerox Corp. has been cited by the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division for not developing an effective workplace violence prevention program that might have averted a mass shooting by a copy machine repairman that left seven co-workers dead. The agency charged that Xerox failed to train managers to recognize and reduce potential hazards as […]
Fed/OSHA continues to move ahead with its controversial ergonomics proposal, despite pending legislation that would require more time for public comment before the rules are finalized. OSHA’s hearings on the proposal wrapped up May 12 after testimony from over 1,000 witnesses, and the agency expects to publish final regulations by year’s end. But the controversy […]
Under California’s wage garnishment law, you can be required to withhold part of an employee’s wages to pay a bill collector, ex-spouse or other creditor. A new change in the law lets you charge employees a small fee every time you make a payment based on a garnishment order. Here’s a quick refresher on your […]
Revised workplace ergonomics rules may be adopted as early as the April 17, 1997 meeting of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. We reported in February that California’s ergonomics rules had to be scrapped and rewritten to be less confusing. The reworded regulations have now been prepared. They aim to clarify these main […]
In a victory for ergonomics advocates, Digital Equipment Corporation was recently ordered to pay almost $6 million to three computer users who claimed that Digital’s keyboards caused arm, wrist and hand injuries. Other keyboard makers, including IBM and Compaq, have successfully defended themselves against similar claims-though they now issue warnings to their employees and users. […]