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

Showing posts for: Washington

May 23 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Working with L&I: How to ensure good claims outcomes

It’s probably safe to say, in business a partner relationship is preferred over an adversarial one. There are low levels of trust in the latter, not to mention stress for both parties and lack of team effort to get the job done quickly and with good results. So, in the instance of workers’ compensation claims…

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May 18 2023
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

WASHINGTON: Governor signs 2023 legislation

The 2023 legislative regular session ended on April 23, 2023, with Washington Governor Jay Inslee signing multiple employment-related bills into law. Please see our separate articles in today’s newsletter on two of those bills, “WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests” (regarding ESSB 5123) and “WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas” (regarding…

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May 18 2023
Safety and HealthWage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas

Governor Jay Inslee recently signed legislation requiring employers of warehouse distribution center employees to notify them of any production quotas, effective July 1, 2024 (HB 1762). Here are the requirements: Covered industries: A warehouse distribution center is an establishment engaged in activities as defined by any of the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)…

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May 18 2023
Drug and AlcoholHiringWashington

WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests

Governor Jay Inslee has signed ESSB 5123, which will prohibit Washington employers from requiring pre-employment testing for non-psychoactive cannabis (marijuana) metabolites of applicants who lawfully consume cannabis away from work, except under limited circumstances, effective January 1, 2024. It creates a new protected group and makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against these lawful…

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May 08 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Q&A: Is there a right time to use Kept-On-Salary for claims (or not)?

                FACT: If Kept-On-Salary (KOS) always produced the best financial result for your company, all Retro groups would likely have KOS requirements. The truth is, KOS will always be good for the retro sponsor but there are times when KOS isn’t the best move for you. You need…

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May 04 2023
Wage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON Q&A: DOT truckers exempt from state break rules

Question: Our truck drivers in Washington, hoping to make more money by completing more deliveries, recently said they don’t need to take mandatory rest and meal periods that comply with Washington law. Is that true? Answer: Surprisingly, yes, assuming the truck drivers you’re referring to are property-carrying commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers subject to the…

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Apr 20 2023
COVID-19Leave LawsSafety and Health

WASHINGTON: End of COVID-19 National Emergency ends HELSA duties

On April 10, 2023, most COVID-19 (coronavirus) obligations for Washington employers were extinguished when President Biden signed legislation (H.J. Res. 7) that immediately terminated the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington’s Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) required employers to (1) report outbreaks to Washington’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH); (2)…

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Mar 29 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Individual Retros: Reduced refunds are likely under L&I’s proposed changes

The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has proposed changes to the insurance tables that will reduce refunds for more than 80% of individual retros in Washington state. Are you one of them? In our experience, most companies choose to participate in an individual retro for two primary reasons: They believe that they can outperform…

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Mar 16 2023
Harassment & DiscriminationWashington

WASHINGTON: Seattle is first to ban caste discrimination

Seattle has become the first city in the U.S. to include caste as a legally protected class for unlawful workplace discrimination. The Seattle city council voted on February 22, 2023, to amend the city law to ban caste discrimination in workplaces, housing, and public services. The new ban was signed into law by Seattle’s mayor…

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Mar 16 2023
COVID-19CaliforniaOregon

Healthcare masking to end April 3, 2023, in CA, OR, and WA

Wearing a mask in healthcare settings will no longer be required in California, Oregon, or Washington as of April 3, 2023. The announcements from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), and the Washington Department of Health (DOH) all say that masks are still recommended, and healthcare providers are free to…

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Mar 15 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Immediacy: Why your workers’ comp provider should be talking about it

What are 5 things you should you be hearing from your Retro or workers’ comp provider? The first thing you should be hearing is the importance of immediacy. Why? In this short video, Dan Beaty, VP Workers’ Compensation explains: In claims, immediacy can mean the difference of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Let’s look…

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Feb 09 2023
Safety and HealthWashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Are we there yet? Accident prevention journey vs destination

“Accident prevention is a journey, not a destination”. This saying is often heard from Vigilant’s own Safety Manager, Manish Gooneratne. He’s full of profound truisms, and this one has always been memorable. It’s also relevant in light of the good news I received last week. You might recall that in last month’s post on workers’ comp…

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