Safety and Health | Employment Law Blog in WA, OR, and CA | Vigilant

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News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp

Showing posts for: Safety and Health

Mar 14 2024
Featured Worker’s CompSafety and HealthWashington

Workers’ Comp Costs: What you CAN control

As you know, L&I increased rates for Washington employers in January by 4.9% on average. If you’ve attended one of our recent webinars, you know rate changes fall into the category of things outside of your control when it comes to workers’ compensation costs. You might also recall the ridiculously busy but truthful graphic from…

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Mar 08 2024
Featured Worker’s CompSafety and HealthWashington

Ask the Claims Manager: Supervisor’s Report of Accident, necessary?

              QUESTION: Our Vigilant Washington workers’ comp claims manager asked us to provide a Supervisor’s Report of Accident after one of our employees was injured at work. I know our claims manager received all the information about the injury from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), so…

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Feb 09 2024
Safety and Health

Submit OSHA injury & illness data by 3-2-24

              March 2, 2024, is the deadline for covered employers to submit injury and illness data to OSHA—for some employers, this just means their 300A Summaries, while for others, this means also submitting detailed data from their OSHA 300 Logs and OSHA 301 Forms. Covered employers must submit this…

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Jan 29 2024
Safety and Health

Two teen fatalities in manufacturing raise safety and HR concerns

  Federal OSHA recently announced major penalties against two separate manufacturing companies after investigating workplace incidents in which a 16-year-old at each facility was fatally injured by machinery. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and many state rules, strictly limit the types of industries and environments where children can work. These two situations tragically illustrate…

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Jan 17 2024
Safety and HealthWage and Hour

Post your OSHA 300A by February 1, 2024

It’s nearly time to finish completing the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and post the OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for the 2023 calendar year. Federal OSHA generally requires employers with more than 10 employees to keep a record of work-related injuries and illnesses, except for establishments…

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Jan 05 2024
Featured Worker’s CompHarassment & DiscriminationSafety and Health

Mitigate workers’ comp risks: Production slowdowns with an injured employee

  When an injured worker is laid off or has their hours reduced because of a production slowdown, you may experience unexpected workers’ compensation issues that could have been avoided with advanced planning. Here are some practical considerations to keep in mind if you must take the unfortunate step of reducing hours or headcount: Eligibility…

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Jan 01 2024
Safety and Health

Safety Q&A: Don’t be surprised by winter storms

Question: What do I need to do to prepare our operations for the winter season? Answer: Start by training employees regarding winter weather safety awareness to ensure everyone is prepared and ready to implement a winter operations action plan focused on the areas listed below. Operations: Entrances and exits: Designate an employee to remove snow…

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Dec 22 2023
Safety and Health

WASHINGTON: L&I files permanent wildfire smoke rules

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has filed permanent rules to protect employees from exposure to wildfire smoke, which replace temporary rules that had previously been issued in the summers of 2021 and 2022. The permanent rules will take effect on January 15, 2024, and apply to almost all workplaces. Exemptions: The rule…

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Dec 07 2023
DisabilitySafety and Health

Employee’s service dog posed direct threat to safety at hospital

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a hospital did not have to allow a nursing student to bring a service dog to work under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because the accommodation created a direct threat to health and safety. A nursing student was assigned to work at the hospital…

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Dec 04 2023
Featured Worker’s CompSafety and HealthWorkers’ Comp

Prioritizing Employee Safety Amidst Seasonal Challenges ❄️

The holiday season is a time of celebration, joy, and relaxation, and for many it can also bring challenges and stress due to increased workloads, overtime commitments, and financial pressures. In the midst of these demands, prioritizing the well-being of our valued employees is crucial. Rather than being discouraged by statistics indicating a surge in…

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Nov 16 2023
Harassment & DiscriminationSafety and HealthWage and Hour

Holiday parties: Follow these tips to minimize company liability

Holiday season is rapidly approaching, and a company holiday party is a great way to reward employees for their work throughout the year. With the return of these parties, here are some tips and recommendations to enjoy a celebration with coworkers and reduce liability for your organization: Limit alcohol consumption: The use of alcohol at…

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Nov 02 2023
Q&ASafety and HealthWage and Hour

WASHINGTON Q&A: Employers can still prohibit some moonlighting

Question: We know there have been many changes in Washington law lately about non-compete restrictions, but are we still allowed to prohibit current employees from moonlighting? Answer: Under certain conditions, yes. Washington law allows employers to restrict current employees from “moonlighting” (i.e., working other jobs at the same time) if the employee is making at…

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