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Safety/Health

Stay out of court with consistent discipline

02/01/2012
Employers that punish some em­­ployees more leniently than others for breaking the same rule are asking for trouble. That’s especially true when a lesser offense seems to have warranted especially harsh punishment.

You never have to tolerate fights in the workplace

01/27/2012
Violence in the workplace is a harsh reality, but employers must provide a safe work environment. That may mean terminating employees who threaten other employees or get into fights.

UCLA, professor charged in lab tech’s 2009 death

01/20/2012
A laboratory fire that killed a UCLA technician has resulted in felony charges against the university and Pro­­fessor Patrick Harran, who ran the lab.

What should an anti-violence policy include?

01/18/2012
Q. We do not have a workplace violence policy and would like to prepare one. What should we include in the policy?

How should we go about reviewing our violence-prevention program?

01/18/2012
Q. We’re re-examining our workplace violence-­prevention strategies. What guidance is available to employers?

Worker makes threats? That’s a firing offense

01/06/2012

Some employees are simply difficult to manage. They start argu­­ments and may see harassment or discrimination everywhere. But sometimes they cross a line, implying they could get violent. How you handle their complaints can spell the difference between winning and losing a lawsuit.

2012 enforcement trends in employment law: hiring and safety

01/05/2012
We’re now well into the first quarter of the year and already a few trends are becoming apparent in the way the federal government will enforce labor and employment laws in 2012. Two significant em­­phases will be hiring discrimination and workplace safety.

Settlement reached in deaths at Mount Carroll grain elevator

12/21/2011
The operator of a Mount Carroll grain elevator has settled U.S. Department of Labor charges it that broke federal child labor laws when it allowed a 14-year-old to work in a hazardous job that proved fatal.

Your dollars at risk: Protect yourself from personal liability

12/13/2011
HR pros spend a lot of their time ensuring that their companies comply with the law so they don’t wind up in court and lose big bucks to a jury verdict. But more and more, they find themselves defending not their employers’ bottom lines, but their own bank accounts. Here’s how to protect your personal funds.

The top 10 safety and health violations of 2011

12/12/2011
OSHA just released its list of the most frequently cited workplace safety and health violations for fiscal year 2011. Topping the list: fall protection in construction, scaffolding in construction, hazard communication, respiratory protection, lockout/tagout, electrical wiring methods, powered industry trucks, ladders in construction ,,,