A common problem in the transportation industry is fleet managers failing to report accidents that their drivers are involved in, or the drivers themselves failing to report them in the first place. The risk is that if you ignore this problem, it’s not going away and will instead likely come back to haunt you, particularly […]
Over the past several years, employers have seen a significant uptick in retaliation and whistleblower claims filed by employees and investigated by federal agencies. Often these claims are part of another complaint, either concerning workplace discrimination or harassment issues and filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or concerning workplace safety issues, which are filed […]
Cal/OSHA has proposed new regulations that would incorporate California’s new workplace violence prevention law — which took effect July 1 — into Title 8, the set of regulations that covers workplace safety in the Golden State. However, the proposed rules add a number of new requirements that some safety observers say would be unworkable in […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new guidance for preventing harassment on construction industry worksites. The guidance, while not binding, can be used as a template for construction firms to implement anti-harassment policies. According to the EEOC, the industry has an especially high incidence of harassment complaints, and “some of the most egregious incidents […]
Businesses with a web presence, particularly those that are consumer-facing, are increasingly being sued over website accessibility issues that prevent disabled individuals from using a website. While the number of such cases has been growing, 2,281 website accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2023, down from 2,387 the prior year and 2,352 in 2021, according to […]
Even while cyberattacks increase, the cost of cyber insurance has been dropping thanks to businesses implementing better controls to thwart such activity and reduce their losses if they become victims of a malicious attack, according to a new report. Rates fell an average of 17% last year after surging in 2021 and 2022 as the […]
The size of jury awards has been exploding in the last few years, and they are often exceeding the limits that businesses have on their liability policies. These excessively large awards are known as “nuclear” verdicts, which are defined as those with damages of $10 million or more. In 2023, such verdicts totaled $14.5 billion, […]
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has ordered that the state’s average benchmark workers’ compensation rate be cut by 2.1%, starting Sept. 1. The decision rejected the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s recommendation that the benchmark rate be raised by 0.9%, citing a slight uptick in claims costs and claims-adjusting costs. The benchmark rate, also known […]
Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat illness prevention regulations took effect July 24, requiring employers to implement safety measures when indoor workplace temperatures reach or exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The new rules apply to most indoor workplaces, such as restaurants, warehouses and manufacturing facilities, and require employers to provide water, rest, cool-down areas and training when temperatures exceed […]
Business e-mail compromise scams are now the most common type of cyber attack businesses face, and all types of these attacks are showing no signs of letting up, according to a new report. Nearly three out of every four businesses were targets of these types of attacks and 29% of those firms became victims of […]