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Safety/Health

Reinstatement ordered for whistle-blower machinist

05/18/2015
OSHA has ruled that Union Pacific Railroad violated federal whistle-blower provisions when it suspended a machinist who recorded a safety inspection and then forwarded it to the Federal Railroad Administration.

May we remove a restaurant server from shifts because of sores on her face?

05/18/2015
Q. We have a server at one of our restaurants who has open sores on her face. She claims she can’t get a bandage to stick to her chin, leaving the sore uncovered. As a result, we have received a few customer complaints. May we remove the server from her shifts so that we do not lose business?

As stress expands, so do we

05/18/2015
The workplace has long been an enabler of Americans’ ever-expanding waistlines and according to an annual survey by CareerBuilder, the stresses associated with full-time employment will likely continue to contribute to the problem.

The jobs that drive people to drink (and get high)

05/08/2015
Lots of employees enjoy an after-work cocktail, but some jobs either attract people who are prone to more serious consumption or make them more likely abuse alcohol and drugs.

How do we prevent negligent hiring claims?

04/29/2015
Q. I recently read an article about employees who were attacked or harassed at work by other employees who never should have been hired in the first place. How can an employer reduce its risk of liability for negligent hiring?

OSHA steps into center ring in unusual accident probe

04/28/2015
Most OSHA accident investigations involve fairly mundane workplaces, such as construction sites, factories and farms. But last spring, OSHA investigators were called to look into safety issues in one of the world’s most unusual work environments—the circus.

The risk of ignoring safety risks: 15-year prison term for owner

04/20/2015
Want to hammer home to company execs the need to enforce on-the-job safety? Make it personal.

Violence hits hard in health, service settings

04/14/2015
OSHA has released updated guidelines on workplace violence in health care and social services settings. Here’s how to download the new publication.

Patient suicide raises staffing issues at St. Peter, Minn. facility

04/13/2015
The union representing workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services mental hospital in St. Peter has criticized staffing levels after a patient committed suicide by hanging himself. Part of the union’s evidence of understaffing: Patients had to help employees cut down the man’s body.

Safety first if you opt out of workers’ comp

04/13/2015

Employers that opt out the Texas workers’ compensation system may be liable for negligence and face potentially lengthy and complex litigation when an employee is hurt on the job. The best defense may be to follow all OSHA and state workplace safety rules.