As you should already be aware, any employer with five or more workers is required to conduct sexual harassment prevention training for their staff by the end of 2019 under a California law passed in 2018. Due to concerns that many employers in the state may not be ready to comply, Gov. Gavin Newsom has […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a measure into law that will greatly expand when employers are required to report workplace injuries to Cal/OSHA. The new law, AB 1805, broadens the scope of what will be classified as a serious illness or injury which regulations require employers to report to Cal/OSHA “immediately. As of yet, there […]
Every employer, no matter how small, faces the specter of being sued by a past, present or prospective employee at some time. In fact, such employment practices claims are widespread – so much so that most businesses are much more likely to have an employment practices liability claim than a general liability or property loss […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation into law that will codify a court ruling from last year that set new ground rules for what constitutes an independent contractor, and which expands on that ruling. There’s been a lot written in the media about the legislation, AB 5, and unfortunately much of it misses the […]
A lockout/tagout program will not be effective if your employees are not properly trained in how it works, and if you don’t have consequences for them if they fail to follow the program. Every year, hundreds of workers in the United States die because they don’t follow lockout/tagout procedures or their employers did not have […]
Business property coverage is getting more difficult to come by for operations located in areas that are susceptible to wildfires. The devastating wildfires of the last few years, along with the thousands of homes and businesses that have been burned or damaged due to these events, has resulted in insurers becoming more selective about the […]
Workers’ compensation insurance rates will likely continue sliding in 2020 after California’s rating agency submitted its recommendation that the state insurance commissioner reduce the average benchmark rates by 5.4%. If the recommendation is approved, it will be the ninth consecutive rate decrease since 2015 (some years had two decreases), which have resulted in the average […]
A recent appeals decision denied coverage to a company on its directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance policies for taking too long to file the claim. In this case, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sided with an insurer that had denied a claim a company had made after being sued […]
Does your injury and illness prevention program spell out the disciplinary action your company will pursue if its safety rules are not adhered to? Addressing disciplinary issues can be a very sensitive and stressful process for most managers, supervisors and employees. However, if disciplinary issues are avoided or handled poorly, it can lead to serious […]