California employers must start complying with the state’s new workplace violence prevention law by July 1. With that deadline less than a month away, employers that are yet to adopt and implement workplace violence prevention plans that satisfy the requirements of California Labor Code, need to prepare immediately. Virtually all employers in the state are […]
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has voted to approve new heat illness prevention regulations that will require some workplaces to make significant adjustments to their operations in order to comply. The vote has been challenged, and at the last minute the California Department of Finance withdrew its approval of the regulatory changes due to a lack […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published a final rule that will give new protections akin to disability accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to pregnant workers and those who have recently given birth. The rule, which takes effect June 18, will require employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees or applicants with known […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule increasing the federal salary threshold for overtime exemptions by 65%, with the full increase starting in 2025. Currently, any worker who does not earn at least $35,568 per year ($684 per week) must be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours in a […]
The Federal Trade Commission on April 23 approved a new rule that bans employers from requiring new employees to sign non-compete agreements. The rule will take effect in August 2024, after the commission voted 3-2 to approve it. Besides banning future non-compete agreements, the new rule also nullifies all existing non-competes and requires employers to […]
The organization that helps set workers’ compensation rates in California will recommend that benchmark rates increase 0.9%, with effect from Sept. 1, 2024. While the recommendation is less than 1%, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau noted that it was driven by increasing medical costs for injured workers and higher claims-adjusting costs for insurers. The […]
Many companies are leaving themselves exposed to lawsuits for errors and other issues that crop up in their work because they lack professional liability insurance. Traditionally it’s been architects, accountants and lawyers who would purchase this coverage, but with more work like coding, programing and other ventures spawned by technology, the need for this type […]
The 2024 International Roadcheck — a high-visibility, high-volume inspection and enforcement effort conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance — is slated for May 14-16. During this annual three-day event, CVSA-certified inspectors fan out across the United States, Canada and Mexico to inspect commercial vehicles and drivers at weigh and inspection stations, as well as […]
Cal/OSHA has published a model plan to help California employers comply with a new law requiring that they have in place a workplace violence plan. The model is designed to provide structure for employers to create their own plans. Businesses have the option to use the model plan, create their own or use another plan […]
With the California commercial property and homeowner’s insurance markets increasingly stressed with fewer and fewer insurers willing to write policies in the Golden State, the insurance commissioner has floated a plan aimed at easing the crisis. The main thrust of the new proposal is to make it easier for insurers to get their rate-hike requests […]