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Showing posts for: Jodi Slavik

Jul 06 2023
Safety and Health

Address standing forklift under-ride hazards at your worksite

Stand-up forklifts have a unique and significant safety risk called under-riding. This occurs when the forklift operator, with forks trailing, backs into a storage rack with a crossbar slightly taller than the truck cab. If there is nothing to stop the forklift, the operator can be hit or crushed. This is what happened twice within…

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Aug 18 2022
Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: COVID-19 workplace rules extended

On August 4, 2022, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) filed an emergency workplace safety rule to extend and slightly modify COVID-19 (coronavirus) reporting, notification, and personal protective equipment requirements. The new rule took effect immediately and expires on December 2, 2022. (We reported on the prior rule here, which expired on August 4, 2022)….

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Apr 07 2022
Wage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON: Stay alert for laws that protect employee wages

There are two laws—one passed this year and one last—that protect employees in Washington from not getting paid or for fees related to bounced checks. The first, RCW Chapter 60.90, became effective January 1, 2022. It allows most employees to place a lien on their employer’s property to secure unpaid wages, as well as interest,…

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Feb 03 2022
DisabilityWashington

WASHINGTON: Long-term care premium tax delayed to July 2023

On January 27, 2022, Governor Jay Inslee signed Substitute House Bill 1732, delaying the implementation of Washington state’s long-term care premium tax from January 1, 2022, until July 1, 2023. As we previously reported, mounting opposition to the program caused Governor Inslee to announce a delay in late December 2021. However, in a subsequent press…

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Jan 20 2022
Wage and Hour

Q&A: Assess pay for time spent logging into online time clocks

Question: I have a remote employee asking if he’s going to be paid for the time it takes to log into our timekeeping software. This seems ridiculous. It only takes him a few minutes—if that—each day. Do we have to pay for this time? Answer: If his work depends on his computer use and he’s…

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Nov 18 2021
COVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health

Q&A: Consider options while awaiting ruling on OSHA COVID-19 ETS

Question: I read your Alert, announcing a hold on federal OSHA’s COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency temporary standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees until a federal court hearing occurs. Does that mean we can stop preparing for the rule (which requires vaccination or weekly tests), or is there something we should still be doing?…

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Oct 28 2021
Vigilant NewsWebinar

12/2 WEBINAR RECORDING: Where are my employees?! How to fix five modern attendance dilemmas.

Even before COVID-19 completely changed traditional work practices, reliable employee attendance was a challenge. Jobs—whether remote or not—require time spent on task. However, Millennial and Gen Z employees want to work when they want and where they want. And new state and federal laws give employees more time off of work for medical, military, civic,…

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Aug 27 2021
Leave LawsTermination & ResignationWashington

Legal Corner: Avoid These Three Workers’ Comp Mistakes

I advise Washington employers A LOT about discipline and terminations. One of my recent calls went like this: “Hi, we have a two-year employee who has horrible attendance and a bad attitude. No one likes working with her. She always complains about anxiety, and last week she was a no-call, no-show. When we got a…

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Jun 03 2021
COVID-19Disability

EEOC updates vaccination guidance

On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) revised its online publication, What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws, clarifying and building on its prior vaccination guidance (see our prior reporting on that guidance here). Although the EEOC didn’t specifically answer the question…

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May 13 2021
COVID-19DisabilityHarassment & Discrimination

WASHINGTON: New law creates more pandemic worker protections

Several important developments have recently occurred in Washington state. We're addressing the following topics in this post – find the full articles below.   New law creates more pandemic worker protections. On May 11, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed ESSB 5115, the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), creating labor standards that automatically take effect…

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Jan 21 2021
COVID-19Hiring

New form may be presented as part of an I-9 List A document

On January 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it’s replacing the sticker that it currently issues to extend the validity of Form I-551 (Permanent Resident Card, also called a “Green Card”). The sticker is being replaced with a revised Form I-797 (Notice of Action). Generally speaking, when a Green Card is…

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Aug 06 2020
COVID-19WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

WASHINGTON: L&I extends workers’ comp premium relief

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is extending its deadline for cash-strapped employers to pay workers’ compensation premiums during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. As we previously reported, L&I established an Employer Assistance Program (EAP) to assist financially distressed businesses with 90-day grace periods or payment plans for workers’ compensation premiums, free of penalties…

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