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Inclement Weather Policy Should Factor In Safety, Pay

Inclement Weather Policy Should Factor In Safety, Pay

An inclement weather policy has two dimensions: The first and most important is employee safety; the second is pay.

“Employers should give serious thought to allowing employees to stay home on days when there is a significantly elevated risk of a traffic accident, as no employer wants to see an injury or fatality occur because an employee felt obligated to come to work even though the roads were not safe,” noted Paul DeCamp, an attorney with Epstein, Becker & Green in Washington, D.C., and former administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

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exams

A Refresher on Pre-employment Medical Exams

Do you require medical exams of applicants before they start working for you? If so, do you know the rules that the ADA requires you follow?

Last month, the EEOC settled a lawsuit it brought against a Florida staffing firm for alleged unlawful pre-employment medical exams under the ADA, which serves as a good reminder for employers of these rules.

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As Construction Work Increases, So Do Dangers

Stormwater violations – The true cost of non-compliance

You may have figured in certain environmental fines as part of the cost of doing business. However, the fine, no matter how huge, is often just one part of the true cost of running afoul of environmental regulations. As an environment, health, and safety (EHS) manager, you are going to have to explain high costs. Today we will examine the true costs of environmental noncompliance for a power company that didn’t meet its stormwater obligations.

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Millennials took adderall to get through school. Now they have taken their addiction to the workplace.

Millennials’ Adderall Addiction

In 2010, when Raphael was a first-semester college freshman struggling to get through finals, he did what it seemed like all his friends were doing: he got an Adderall from a fellow student and holed up in the library. It was the first time he’d tried the stimulant—a mixture of amphetamine salts often prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—which is often used off-label as a “study drug” by those not diagnosed with the disorder.

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Opioid-Related Insurance Claims Rose More Than 3,000 Percent From 2007 to 2014

Tips and Tactics for a Stronger Safety Committee

Of course you have a safety committee. But how effective is it? Does it satisfy a state requirement with minimal creativity or innovation? Is it your ticket to a discount on your workers’ comp coverage? Or does it actually enhance your safety performance, giving employees at all levels an opportunity to lead and engage in the safety process?
What elements go into making a safety committee successful? This Compliance Report delivers reminders, tips, and best practices. Be sure to share the content with your committee and use it as a departure point for improvements at your site or company.

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Millennials took adderall to get through school. Now they have taken their addiction to the workplace.

NSC Report: Causes and Consequences of Employee Fatigue

Fatigue is a growing problem affecting the workforce. Research estimates that 13% of workplace injuries can be attributed to fatigue.

A new report from the National Safety Council, Fatigue in the Workplace: Causes and Consequences of Employee Fatigue, breaks down a probability-based survey of more than 2,000 working adults and their experience with fatigue. The report shows that 97% of workers have at least one workplace fatigue risk factor, while more than 80% have more than one risk factor. When multiple risk factors are present, the potential for injuries on the job increases.

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Screen Time May be Aging Worker's Eyes

Screen Time May be Aging Worker’s Eyes

May is Healthy Vision Month, a good time to remind your employees of your vision-related benefits and eye protection and safety measures, as well as precautions they can take to maintain their own eye health. Unfortunately, says the Vision Council, the modern day workspace is far from “eye-gonomic,” and day-long use of computers, combined with personal use off hours, can result in eye problems—and decreased productivity.
The Vision Council’s new report, Eyes Overexposed: The Digital Device Dilemma, based on its fourth annual “VisionWatch Survey,” finds some issues have arisen since workers began using digital devices constantly at work and at home…Millennials are “the ultimate device multitaskers,” while adults in their 30s are “cubicle dwellers” who use computers all day on the job, then other digital devices off hours. Workers in their 40s experience the beginnings of age-related changes to their eyes, while those in their 50s and 60s are seeing the cumulative effects from years of computer and other digital use, as well as normal eye changes as they age.The Vision Council found that 60% of people use digital devices for 5 or more hours a day, and 65% experience vision problems including dry eyes, irritation, or blurred vision after spending time reading digital devices….Even going from a computer screen to looking at a smartphone can cause increased harm because workers hold the smaller devices closer (8 to 12 inches) to their face, decreasing their blinking rates and leading to dry, irritated eyes. The angles at which smartphones are held are also inconsistent, resulting in focusing issues.One of the most frightening findings from the report, says the Post, is that that adults under 30 experience the highest rate of digital eye-strain symptoms (73%) compared with other age groups. And eye conditions that used to be found in seniors are now being diagnosed in people in their 20s and 30s! Increased computer use is resulting in workers’ eyes aging prematurely, so younger employees are developing once-rare conditions such as “accommodation spasms” and “retinal migraines.”

…What can employers do? Besides providing eye-care coverage in their health benefits,… companies can provide employees’ computers with:

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