California employers will recall that Cal/OSHA last November issued COVID-19 emergency temporary standards that were controversial. Now the agency is looking to implement revisions to the standards to make them less burdensome and more reflective of the current state of the pandemic in the U.S. as more and more people get vaccinated. The Cal/OSH Standards […]
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has approved a regulatory filing that will change the premium threshold for employers to qualify for an experience modifier (X-Mod). The approval was part of a larger regulatory filing the Workers’ Compensation Rating Bureau made to also change expected claims costs, eliminate a few class codes and make new rules […]
As summer nears many companies are ramping up hiring of teen workers, and many companies are taking them on as they deal with the labor shortage as the country emerges from the pandemic. Others employ them year round. Taking on a teen worker comes with added responsibility in terms of compliance with state and federal […]
In an unusual move, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California has filed with the Department of Insurance a recommendation that benchmark workers’ comp rates in the state be increased by an average of 2.7%, effective Sept. 1 of this year. Typically, the Rating Bureau will only file for Jan. 1 or mid-year rate […]
The deadline is fast approaching for employers with 50 or more staff in California, and who do not already offer their employees a retirement plan, to register for the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program. As of April 7, more than 10,000 employers had already registered for the program, which will allow employees to set aside a […]
The costs for businesses when their employees are involved in car accidents on and off the job are staggering, at $72.2 billion a year, according to a new study. The “Cost of Vehicle Crashes to Employers ― 2019” study, released in March 2021 by the Network for Employers for Traffic Safety, looks at how much […]
Governor Newsom signed legislation in March that requires California employers with more than 25 workers to provide them with up to 80 hours of COVID-19-related paid sick leave. The new law even requires employers to pay workers that took COVID-19-related sick leave prior to March for the time they took off. The law is retroactive to […]
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that President Biden signed into law on March 11 contains a number of provisions intended to help small businesses and other organizations hurt by the pandemic. Foremost, it includes additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to struggling businesses, and a number of special grants to companies in […]
Cyber insurance rates are going to increase dramatically in 2021, driven by more frequent and more severe insured losses, according to a recent industry study. The report by global insurance firm Aon plc predicted that rates would jump by 20% to 50% this year due to two main factors: 1. Cyber attacks are becoming more […]
OSHA recently updated its COVID-19 safety guidance to recommend that employees who have been vaccinated should continue wearing face masks, practice social distancing and comply with any other COVID-19 safety protocols while on the job. That means that the same workplace protocols that apply to unvaccinated employees will apply to those who have received their […]