A whole subspecialty of law practice is emerging, focusing on website accessibility. That’s bad news for businesses that haven’t ensured their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations, or businesses that...
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OSHA Publishes Updated Slip, Trips and Falls Rule
In mid-November, OSHA published its long-awaited final rule on slips, trips and falls. The rule becomes effective on Jan. 17, 2017, and will affect approximately 112 million workers at seven million worksites. In 2014, falls, slips and trips accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injuries, second only to transportation accidents. OSHA estimates that,...
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Ensuring Worker Safety Abroad
Although terrorism attacks get all the press, Americans traveling or working abroad are far more likely to fall victim to robbery, kidnap or rape. According to the Global Terrorism Database, 80 Americans (including perpetrators) died in terrorist attacks between 2004 to 2013. This excludes deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq, the majority of which are combat-related....
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Five Steps to Conducting a Job Hazard Analysis
A job hazard analysis can help you identify hazards that can lead to injury. A hazard is the potential for harm. In practical terms, a hazard often is associated with a condition or activity that, if left uncontrolled, can result in an injury or illness. A job hazard analysis is an exercise in detective work....
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Depression in the Workplace
Clinical depression affects about one-fifth of women and one sixth of men in the United States at some point in their lifetimes. Why should employers be aware of this problem? Depression often strikes between the ages of 25 and 44 — the prime working years. At any one time, one employee in 20 may be...
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Healthy Aging in the Workforce
The workforce is aging, so understanding the specific needs of older workers can help you keep them healthy and on the job. Here’s what you should know. Several years ago trend-spotters started talking about the “brain drain” that would occur when skilled Baby Boomers start to retire. More recently, the upheaval in financial markets and...
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Horseplay: Who Pays When Someone Gets Hurt?
When horseplay occurs in a work environment, does workers’ compensation apply? Generally, an injury must 1) occur in the course of employment and 2) arise out of the worker’s employment to be compensable. Merriam-Webster defines horseplay as “rough or loud play: energetic and noisy playful activity.”’ Most job descriptions don’t include play…so should employees receive...
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How to Create a “Safety Culture”
Focusing your safety program solely upon reducing reported accidents and injuries or compliance with OSHA regulations means your safety and loss control program will never be completely successful. You’ll be applying all your controls to the tip of the iceberg, while major hazards may lurk unchecked. Why Create a Safety Culture? Most workplace accidents stem...
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Minimize Risks to Young Workers
Millions of teenagers will soon be leaving school and taking jobs either for the summer or as the start of their permanent integration into the workforce. Here’s what you need to know to protect them. Last summer, more than half of Americans from ages 16 to 24 years old held jobs, up 2.1 million from...
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What You Think You Know About Alcohol Abuse Injuries vs the Truth
When researching the effects of alcohol on workplace injuries, you’ll likely stumble across a statistic attributing 38 to 50 percent of all workplace injuries to alcohol or drug abuse. If that sounds a little too high to you, you’re probably right. It probably is. The statistic supposedly comes from a report by the NCCI, the...
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