workplace safety

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By Hoorya R. Ahmad and Patrick D. Joyce

Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective July 17, 2023, employers with outdoor workers in the state of Washington will be required to follow revised heat illness prevention rules. The revised rules modify Washington’s long-standing 2008 rule and expand employees subject to the rule’s protection. Employers should review the required Washington State Accident Prevention Programs to…

Continue Reading Employers Feeling the Heat: Washington Adopts Permanent Changes to Outdoor Heat Exposure Rules Effective July 17, 2023

By Robert S.  Whitman and Daniel I. Small

Seyfarth Synopsis: The New York State Legislature is keeping busy with new employment legislation as the local and national economies continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 21, 2021, both houses of the Legislature announced passage of portions of the NY Hero Act, which requires extensive new workplace health and…
Continue Reading New York State Enacts Worker Safety Legislation and Considers Other Employee Friendly Bills

By Brent I. Clark, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Safety at workThe U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced last week an expansion of its worker endangerment initiative to address worker safety violations through the use of enhanced criminal fines and penalties.

According to Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates, “on an average…
Continue Reading Enhanced Criminal Prosecutions of Worker Safety Violations – Employers Beware

By Ofer Lion

injured businessman in bandages and crutches with dollar pile and falling money vectorIf your company is a nonprofit or has a nonprofit foundation, are you covered if something happens to your volunteers while they’re engaged in service to your organization?

The concern is real. There were 287 fatal occupation injuries among volunteers from 2003-2007. Prudent nonprofits carry insurance, called “volunteer accident insurance,” to cover injuries to volunteers.

Workers …
Continue Reading Nonprofit Volunteers: We’ll Work For Free … Unless We Get Hurt

By Alexander J. Passantino, Richard L. Alfred, Loren Gesinsky, James L. Curtis, and Meagan Noel Newman

In anticipation of a long, stormy winer, Seyfarth Shaw has prepared a Client Alert to help employers navigate wage & hour issues arising from potential closures, as well as workplace safety issues related to severe winter weather.

In the wake…
Continue Reading Winter Storms: Helping Employers Anticipate Wage & Hour and Workplace Safety Concerns

By Ilana R. Morady and Meagan Newman

The emotional and financial impact of workplace violence events is undeniable and virtually every employer understands the importance of having an effective workplace violence prevention program—yet, many employers stop short when it comes to domestic violence issues.  Domestic violence (or “intimate partner violence”), they might think, is not an employer’s problem.  Some employers…
Continue Reading Workplace Violence: Does your Program Address Domestic Violence?

By James L. Curtis, Meagan Newman, Patrick J. Bannon, Barry J. Miller

In a recent Client Alert, Jim Curtis and Meagan Newman discuss workplace safety issues in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Employers need to keep in mind that storm cleanup poses significant hazards that must be addressed. Employees may be asked to perform tasks, or volunteer…
Continue Reading After the Storm: Workplace Safety and Wage & Hour Considerations