Vigilant Blog
News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp
Mar
19
2020
ALERT: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences
Alert: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences President Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, an economic stimulus package that offers employees certain emergency protections for absences related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This new law will have a major impact on employers throughout 2020, as it…
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Mar
17
2020
Alert: Know where to find coronavirus guidance
Know where to find COVID-19 guidance With new developments rapidly unfolding on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, employers need to know where to find the latest guidance. In this Alert, we’re sharing links to the resources we’re finding to be most helpful. We’re also tracking pending federal legislation which is expected to temporarily expand the…
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Mar
16
2020
Alert: Coronavirus pandemic raises numerous workplace questions
The United States has been hard hit by coronavirus in the past week and Vigilant has received a variety of questions from members about this evolving situation. We previously reported on how to handle situations with employees who seek to return to the workplace after traveling to areas affected by…
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Mar
12
2020
Part 4: Deconstructing a 30% retro refund - claims management
Dear Washington Manufacturer, The most recent letter in our series on deconstructing a 30% Retro refund highlighted the positive impact of customized and dedicated loss prevention services. This letter shares why sophisticated claims management strategies have a similar effect: lowering upfront premiums and increasing Retro refunds. We acknowledge and sympathize with the…
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Mar
10
2020
DOT confirms CBD use doesn’t excuse positive marijuana test
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued a bulletin confirming that using a product containing cannabidiol (CBD) isn’t a valid excuse for testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) under DOT rules. Both products are derived from marijuana; THC has psychoactive effects, while CBD doesn’t. The cannabis industry is poorly regulated and as we…
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Mar
10
2020
Board issues final rule on joint employer status under NLRA
The National Labor Relations Board recently issued a final rule on how to determine whether an employer jointly employs another employer’s workers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Historically, companies, workers, unions, and attorneys had to rely on old Board decisions to analyze whether organizations were joint employers under the…
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Mar
10
2020
Prior salary still doesn’t justify pay differences under EPA
Employers can’t use prior salary history to justify paying employees less than their opposite-sex colleagues, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed. The federal Equal Pay Act (EPA) allows employers to explain pay differences between men and women performing equal work by pointing to seniority, merit, production, or any “factor other than…
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Mar
04
2020
Part 3: You’re invited to receive a 30% retro refund
Dear Washington Manufacturer, You’re invited to apply for participation in Vigilant’s best-in-class Manufacturing Retrospective Rating Program—members are projected to receive a 30% refund for the most recent Retro plan year. Because of the elite composition of the manufacturers in our program, our use of proprietary data analytics, and our staff’s dedication, we expect that number to…
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Feb
28
2020
OSHA zeroes in on respirable crystalline silica
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently launched a new National Emphasis Program to reduce worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Workers who inhale silica dust can develop serious lung diseases, which may be fatal or require lung transplants. The dust is generated when materials such as stone, rock,…
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Feb
28
2020
Q&A: Follow CDC guidance on coronavirus concerns
Question: One of our employees went on vacation to Thailand and is scheduled to return to work in a couple of days. We don’t know whether her itinerary included any connections through China, but we’re concerned she could have been exposed to the coronavirus. Can we tell her not to come to work…
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