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Texas

‘Deficiencies at all levels’ blamed in 2005 BP refinery explosion

06/01/2007

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued its final report on the March 2005 Texas refinery explosion and fire that killed 15 workers and injured 180. The report details the safety lapses that led to the explosion and fire, which occurred at BP North America’s Texas City refinery …

Former plumbers union president indicted for embezzlement

06/01/2007

A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas indicted William I. “Willie” Brown, former president of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 237 in Texarkana, on multiple counts of embezzlement …

Goodyear pays $227,792 in back wages to Texas workers

06/01/2007

The U.S. Labor Department (DOL) recently announced that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., following a 2006 judgment, has paid 211 employees $227,792 in back wages. The wage awards went to current and former technicians at its Houston and Bayport chemical plants …

Workplace safety tip: Don’t use employees as tie-Downs

06/01/2007

Two Fort Worth construction workers found out the hard way that sitting on plywood in the back of a moving pickup truck won’t keep the plywood from flying away …

53 employees plead guilty in Texas immigration case

06/01/2007

Richard B. Roper, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, recently announced that six more former Swift & Co. employees pleaded guilty to document fraud and illegal entry into the country …

Texas high court rejects employer liability for worker conduct

06/01/2007

The Texas Supreme Court recently issued two decisions limiting when employers can be held responsible for the wrongs committed by their employees. The cases offer hope that employers won’t always bear the brunt of their employees’ wrongdoing, as has often been the case in the past …

Court: Intermittent FMLA leave won’t cover tardiness, bathroom breaks

05/15/2007

Employees are becoming well versed in the FMLA game, and you’re paying the price. Unscheduled intermittent leaves now account for a huge portion of all FMLA leaves of absence. And while the law does allow employees to take FMLA leave in small bites for a doctor’s visit or to care for a sick relative, it doesn’t give them unfettered rights to random work breaks or to arrive late without a good excuse …

Revising crisis plan? Consider disabled workers’ needs

05/01/2007

In light of April’s shootings at Virginia Tech, organizations are taking a fresh look at their evacuation and emergency notification procedures. When you review yours, resist the well-intentioned temptation to lessen risk by shunting aside disabled employees …

Manager who did the hiring also should do the firing

05/01/2007

It may be a good idea to track who in your organization makes the decisions to hire specific employees. That way, those managers can also be part of the decision to discharge employees who turn out to be duds …

Seek accommodations even if the effort seems impossible

05/01/2007

As soon as an employee makes it known that he needs accommodations, it’s up to the employer to start an interactive accommodations process, even if it turns out that no accommodation is possible …