Monthly Archives: December 2012

OSHA Can Now Connect the Dots and Track Your Company’s Inspection Trends

OSHA has long been hampered by its difficulty in coordinating between different Federal Area Offices and State Plans. Inspections at companies or construction contractors with many locations tend to be viewed one work site at a time, other than for … Continue reading

Posted in combustible dust, government inspections, manufacturing, OSHA, plastics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Webinar Making Predictions About Federal Agencies in 2013

While there remains some lingering uncertainty, the recent elections did lend some clarity to an evolving regulatory landscape. Now that the dust has settled, what can we expect from a second term for the current Administration? And with additional gridlock … Continue reading

Posted in aging workforce, concerted protected activity, construction, cultural changes, discipline and discharge, EEOC, employer benefit plans, employer policies, food processing, harassment, hospitality, manufacturing, NLRB, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, plastics, recruiting, retail, social media, Uncategorized, unions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biggest 2012 Employment Law Events (set to the theme of post apocalyptic movies)

The End of the World As We Know It? PART 1 My Portland partner, Rich Meneghello, produced the entertaining update below on the biggest employment law events in 2012, gleefully described in the context of disaster/post apocalypse movies… come on, … Continue reading

Posted in concerted protected activity, construction, discipline and discharge, manufacturing, NLRB, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, plastics, recruiting, retail, social media | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should An Employer Use Criminal Record Checks? Part 2

The post below is Part 2 of my law partner, Bert Brannen’s tips to safely using criminal record checks in the context of increased regulatory scrutiny. 3. Revise The Inquiries On Your Employment Application. The EEOC Guidance strongly discourages employers … Continue reading

Posted in construction, EEOC, employer policies, food processing, hospitality, manufacturing, recruiting, retail, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Does OSHA Want a Digital Copy of My Safety Program?

Recently OSHA Compliance Officers in two different Area Offices specifically requested digital copies of employers’ “Safety Program” instead of written copies. The employers understandably wondered why the Compliance Officers expressly wanted digital copies. An obvious concern was that the Compliance … Continue reading

Posted in construction, employer policies, food processing, hospitality, manufacturing, OSHA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Should Construction Owners Continue To Use Criminal Background Checks? Part 1

My friend and partner, Bert Brannen is going to provide a three-part discussion on criminal background checks, including practical compliance tips. ( http://www.laborlawyers.com/dbrannen ). PART 1 Earlier this year, the EEOC issued Enforcement Guidance on the “Consideration of Arrest and … Continue reading

Posted in construction, discipline and discharge, EEOC, employer policies, harassment, hospitality, manufacturing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Employer Benefit Plan Actions For the End of the Year

ARE YOU READY FOR 2013? 2013 marks not just the start of a new calendar year, but also compliance obligation deadlines for some employee benefit plans. The F and P Benefits Group has outlined a number of key provisions impacting … Continue reading

Posted in aging workforce, employer benefit plans, employer policies, food processing, hospitality, manufacturing, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, wellness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Workers’ Christmas wish: Fire the boss!

We know that to manage employees we must understand the demographic and cultural changes occurring, and how employees view the work world. The article linked below found that almost 30% of employees plan to change jobs in the coming year, … Continue reading

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Employers Still Misunderstand or Underestimate Their Combustible Dust Risks

Those of you who know me well are aware that I have worked with hundreds of plants in their combustible dust compliance efforts and have been involved with a number of explosion/deflagration fatalities, including the catastrophic explosion at the Imperial … Continue reading

Posted in combustible dust, food processing, manufacturing, OSHA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment