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Safety/Health

Fighting at work: Fire one, both or neither?

03/01/2008

Q. Two of our employees got into a fight. One had a weapon, the other didn’t. The unarmed person wound up in the hospital. His supervisor told the injured employee to get better and come back to work. But the owner doesn’t want either back. Can we fire the injured employee without any future problems? —M.R., New Jersey …

Former boxing commish alleges retaliation, says he was fired for speaking out

03/01/2008
Larry Hazzard Sr., former New Jersey Athletic Control Board commissioner, has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against state Attorney General Anne Milgram. Hazzard says he was fired from his position on the board, which oversees boxing in Atlantic City, for reporting legal and safety-related violations …

Mystery neurological illness plagues slaughterhouse workers

03/01/2008
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given a name to an illness suffered by employees in pork processing plants in Indiana and Minnesota: progressive inflammatory neuropathy …

Prison nurses say race, complaints led to firings

03/01/2008
Six black nurses have sued Nashville-based Corrections Corp. of America, which operates a prison annex for Marion County, alleging they were fired or forced to resign because of their race and because they complained about unsafe practices at the facility …

Make sure you fairly distribute dangerous assignments

03/01/2008
Are some assignments within your organization more dangerous than others?  Make sure you don’t dump those duties on members of a protected class. Instead, distribute those tasks evenly so no one can claim he or she was singled out for hazardous assignments because of race, national origin or some other protected characteristic …

Does more overtime equal less safety?

03/01/2008
Working excessive overtime increases an employee’s chances of suffering an on-the-job injury, according to a new Yale University study …

Dealing with employees who fear HIV

03/01/2008
Q. How should an employer deal with an employee who refuses to work around a co-worker or customer who is HIV-positive? …

How to enforce a ‘No weapons’ policy

03/01/2008
Q. What does an employer need to do to keep licensed handgun owners from bringing guns onto its premises? …

Focus on safety–Not reducing claims–When discussing workers’ comp

02/01/2008

Employers naturally want to reduce their workers’ compensation claims—it means lower insurance costs, less lost time and higher productivity. But be careful how you frame the issue. Don’t discourage legitimate claims or retaliate against those who file claims …

Remind employees they may be personally liable for injuries

02/01/2008

We all want an injury-free workplace. No injuries means no lost productivity, no workers’ comp payments or premium increases and no additional OSHA scrutiny. But employees sometimes can’t resist horseplay, which can lead to serious injuries. If you need an additional reason to discourage playing around, even in good fun, tell them this: An employee who intentionally hurts a co-worker may be personally sued …