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Oct 21 2015
Safety and HealthWashington

Washington Employers: Safety & health poster has been updated

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is mailing an updated version of its mandatory safety and health poster to employers. The date shown in the bottom right-hand corner is “09/15.” You may also download an online copy. It must be displayed where employees can see it. For information about federal and state poster…

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Oct 20 2015
Wage and HourWashington

Washington Employers: You don’t have to “police” employee meal breaks

Washington employers can let out a collective sigh of relief due to a recent federal district court decision reaffirming that they are not required to “police” employee meal breaks to make sure employees are taking them. Employers are only required to give employees a meaningful opportunity to take the meal period. Washington’s meal period regulation…

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Oct 08 2015
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Stay at Work reimbursement process changes coming to Washington in October.

The Washington Legislature is making it easier and faster for companies to apply for wage and other reimbursements online beginning in mid-October. This is an enhancement of the “Stay at Work Program” approved in 2011, which demonstrates the Legislature’s strong support for assisting employers in keeping their workers safe and healthy through early return to…

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Sep 28 2015
Safety and HealthWashingtonWorkers’ Comp

5 Reasons to Offer Early Return-to-Work to Injured Employees

After a workers’ comp claim is filed, light and/or modified jobs for every employee injured is beneficial for 5 primary reasons. 1. Plain and simple: People, who return to work faster, get better faster. Study after study shows that work promotes the healing process. 2. Time loss benefits are the largest avoidable cost of a…

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Sep 24 2015
Safety and HealthWashingtonWorkers’ Comp

WASHINGTON: L&I proposes 2016 workers’ comp rate increase

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has just announced a proposed 2% average base rate increase for 2016 workers’ compensation coverage. Proposed rates are based on several factors, including expected claim costs, the size of the contingency fund, and the inflation of wages. Of note, companies involved in miscellaneous wood products manufacturing…

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Jul 01 2015
Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: Injury reporting rules revised July 1, 2015

Employers in Washington must comply with new requirements for reporting serious injuries beginning July 1, 2015. Work-related injuries resulting in amputations or loss of an eye must be reported to Washington’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) within 24 hours of learning of the injury. Fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations must still be reported within…

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Apr 03 2015
Wage and HourWashington

Seattle, Washington minimum wage ordinance upheld; regulations released

A federal district court in Washington has refused to stop the City of Seattle from treating each franchise as a “large employer” for fast phase-in of Seattle’s new $15 minimum wage, and Seattle has moved ahead in issuing its new administrative rules on minimum wage. These rules apply to employees who perform work in Seattle,…

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Mar 31 2015
Q&AWage and HourWashington

Do employees occasionally working in Seattle get a minimum wage bump?

A: Yes, depending on how many hours they work within the city. Similar to its Paid Sick and Safe Leave ordinance, Seattle is applying the new minimum wage for partial work in the city. The ordinance requires the new $10 minimum wage ($11 if you have over 500 employees) for every hour worked by employees…

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Dec 30 2014
DisabilityWashington

Collaboration and communication key to disability accommodation

An employee in a paper mill started to have uncontrollable vomiting when exposed to a variety of chemicals. The employee saw many doctors who provided various work restrictions. In response, the employer moved the employee to different locations in the mill, but the vomiting continued. Eventually the employer told the employee to stay home until…

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Oct 30 2014
HiringWashington

WASHINGTON: Overbroad, anticompetitive noncompetes are unenforceable

Two of the employees’ noncompete agreements prevented them from contacting any customers they communicated with while employed with the company. The court looked at this prohibition, and found that it was too harsh and overly broad. Essentially, this restriction would have prevented the employees from contacting companies who weren’t even customers, but were merely prospects…

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Oct 13 2014
Washington

WASHINGTON: Employers are responsible for discrimination between independent contractors

A contractor truck driver was called racial epithets, cursed at, and was the target of racially charged jokes made by other contract drivers. In response to this treatment, the independent contractor driver reported the incidents to an official at the client company who forwarded the complaints to dispatch. Two days after receiving the complaint, the…

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Oct 10 2014
Vigilant NewsWashingtonWorkers’ Comp

WASHINGTON: Vigilant Workers’ Comp program earns even more in premium refunds!

Our Washington Workers’ Comp claims team is very excited to report that on top of the $7.5M in refunds distributed this year, we have recovered an additional $633,227 in premium refunds for participants in our retro program. The additional refunds came as a result of successful protests on claims that were incorrectly charged, or should…

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If you are a manufacturing or agriculture employer in Washington and committed to keeping your employees safe and working, you may be eligible for Vigilant's workers' compensation Retro or claims management programs. To see if you qualify fill out our release form now, or contact us.

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