Federal workplace safety officials plan to release a proposed rule later this year aimed at preventing workplace violence in the healthcare industry, giving you time to prepare for the potential of increased compliance...more
Employers should prepare for increased safety and health enforcement efforts now that federal labor and workplace safety officials have entered a partnership to bolster whistleblower protections. Specifically, the National...more
The unfortunate uptick in active shooter events has led federal workplace safety officials to focus their sights on employers and whether they should be held responsible for the results of tragic events on their premises....more
Kentucky officials just rolled out a new program aiming to help employers and employees avoid some of the burdens of a layoff during an economic downturn. Starting on January 1 this year, employers in the state can now apply...more
The nation’s workplace safety and health watchdog agency recently announced that it will now cast a wider net to include even more workplaces in its enhanced inspection program known as the “Severe Violator Enforcement...more
Federal workplace safety officials just released the mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule, and employers are sure to have questions. The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) developed by the Occupational Safety and...more
11/5/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Joint Employers ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Starting on July 2, 2021, Kentucky’s state labor cabinet will no longer be allowed to adopt safety standards more stringent than what federal law requires, as state law will now run parallel to federal workplace safety...more
Under a new Kentucky law that will take effect in July 2021, employers can hire qualified applicants with criminal records without fearing legal barriers and liabilities. Specifically, House Bill 497 creates a certificate...more
Stopping short of completely eliminating quarantine requirements for people who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just substantially relaxed its recommended...more
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the use of a face mask to help stop the spread of the virus. State and local governments followed suit, in some cases...more
For employers required to maintain work-related injury and illness records: it’s that time of year again. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires covered employers (establishments with 10 or more...more
Given the significant impact that the pandemic has had on workplaces, and with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, many employers are considering whether to impose mandatory vaccination policies. Recently, the U.S. Equal...more
The year 2020 has presented very different workplace safety issues for employers. We have seen an exponential increase in employers receiving notice of complaints to state and federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA)...more
With such little fanfare that it may have escaped many employers’ attention, the Kentucky Labor Cabinet’s Department of Workplace Standards recently implemented final amendments to its injury and illness recordkeeping and...more
When thinking about safety training for your workforce, you may be, understandably, focused on your workforce as a whole. Just as important, however, is considering the age, gender, nationality, and other aspects of all of...more
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) just published its newest series of answers to its COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing when an employer must report to OSHA an employee’s...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
9/10/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Medical Leave ,
Misclassification ,
NLRB ,
Paid Leave ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Telecommuting ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wrongful Death
As COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, so too does the number of lawsuits filed against employers. Recently, an increasing number of families of employees who died from COVID-19 have asserted wrongful death actions...more
Reports of increased deaths and hospitalizations of nursing home employees infected with COVID-19 have prompted unprecedented numbers of federal and state workplace safety inspections at healthcare facilities. Just this week,...more
7/24/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Workplace Safety
Resuming business operations as the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic decreases and governments in Kentucky and Indiana ease restrictions will involve more than unlocking your front door and turning the lights on. You must...more
5/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Leave ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Death
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet’s Department of Workplace Standards released its proposed amendments to its injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting requirements on February 11, 2020. A public hearing on these amendments...more
4/24/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Comment ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) requires covered employers to meet several reporting requirements to prove compliance. At this time of the year, many covered employers have posted (or should have posted)...more
For the first time in our country’s history, today’s workforce consists of five generations working together. Millennials have overtaken the Baby Boomers and Generation X to become the dominant demographic of American labor....more
Employee burnout is now an officially diagnosable condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently updated its definition, employee burnout is not a medical condition. Instead, the WHO calls burnout...more
When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a memorandum in 2018 announcing that agency inspectors are now authorized to use camera-carrying Unmanned Aircraft Systems—or drones—to collect evidence...more
1/9/2019
/ Consent ,
Drones ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Memorandum of Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Search Warrant ,
Workplace Safety