Changes are once again coming to Fed-OSHA’s Hazardous Communications Standard, which governs the handling of chemicals and other dangerous substances. OSHA’s final rule, which takes effect July 19, 2024, will bring the standard in line with the latest update to the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. The update revises […]
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on May 31 approved all of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s recommended changes to class codes for some electronics manufacturing sectors, as well as increases to the wage thresholds for construction industry dual classifications. The following changes will take effect for policies incepting on or after Sept. 1, 2024: […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom, legislators and business groups have struck an agreement to reform a law that has become a costly thorn in the side of employers operating in the state, the Private Attorneys General Act. The deal averts a showdown over a business-backed initiative slated to be on the November ballot that would repeal […]
Under California law, auto insurers are required to verify vehicle mileage at least every three years, including current annual mileage and miles driven to and from work and/or school. The state requires insurers to collect this information so that they can price their policies according to a policyholder’s risk and ensure that drivers who spend […]
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 […]