Category Archives: whistleblower/retaliation

Discipline Is Essential For Safety, So Why Don’t We Do It?

An effective safety process requires consistent discipline to support other company safety efforts, but it doesn’t happen. OSHA is aggressively suing employers for allegedly using safety rules to terminate employees for reporting workplace injuries. Indeed, it often turns out that … Continue reading

Posted in discipline and discharge, employer policies, OSHA, reducing injuries, whistleblower/retaliation, workers comp | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

EHS Magazine Discussions of Leading and Lagging Indicators and OSHA

Last Week, Sandy Smith, Editor in Chief of EHS Magazine, interviewed me for two articles she prepared today on the continued difficulties presented as employers struggle to rely on leading indicators to manage safety rather than relying on workplace injury data – “lagging … Continue reading

Posted in construction, employer policies, incentive plans, OSHA, wellness, whistleblower/retaliation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

OSHA Warning: Don’t Get Caught In a Trap!

It’s nice to see that more and more employers and their publications are raising the legal and practical concerns associated with reliance on “lagging indicators,” such as recordable injuries to manage and evaluate safety programs. Go to the Blog  of … Continue reading

Posted in discipline and discharge, employer benefit plans, employer policies, harassment, incentive plans, OSHA, whistleblower/retaliation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Weigh Obesity In Employment Decisions

In September, one of my Memphis partners, Jeff Wientraub, wrote a good analysis of legal issues posed by obese workers in HR Professionals Magazine.  While most employers state that an employees weight does not influence their employment decisions, I am … Continue reading

Posted in ADA, aging workforce, cultural changes, generational differences, wellness, whistleblower/retaliation, workers comp | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Can Win ADA Claims- Show Individualized Analysis and No Knee-Jerk Decisions

Today, the Eight Circuit handed down a well-reasoned decision in plaintiff’s appeal of its loss in an ADA and State Whistleblower claim.  A locomotive machinist  was sent for examination and not allowed to return to work after being diagnosed with … Continue reading

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Response to Another NLRB Social Media Question.

As is often the case, we received hordes of fact-specific questions about what policies are being challenged by the NLRB, and what language has been approved regarding professional behavior, use of social media, courtesy and privacy.  I am tempted to … Continue reading

Posted in employer policies, harassment, NLRB, union organizing, unions, whistleblower/retaliation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Attractive Women! Retaliation Claims! Social Media! Mixed Drinks! In a Wage-Hour Case?

Ok… I admit to sounding like a British tabloid writer.  However, how often can one discuss a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) case set in an upscale bar,  involving allegations of retaliation and threatening social media posts?  I suspect that wage-hour … Continue reading

Posted in discipline and discharge, EEOC, employer policies, government inspections, hospitality, social media, wage hour, whistleblower/retaliation, workplace violence | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cussing Out Your Employee May Get You Sued By… OSHA??

  Hopefully you are aware of the continuing escalation of all forms of whistleblower and retaliation claims, including under the 21 Anti-Retaliation laws enforced by special investigators from OSHA’s Whistleblower group. If not, check out the News Room on OSHA’s … Continue reading

Posted in cultural changes, EEOC, generational differences, government inspections, management and leadership, NLRB, OSHA, whistleblower/retaliation, workplace violence | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Forget to Post That OSHA 300A Summary By This Friday, February 1!

Don’t Forget to Post That OSHA 300A Summary By This Friday, February 1! It always amazes me that such an admittedly dry subject creates so much interest. Today, we held the first of two Firm webinars today on the nuts and bolts … Continue reading

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Zero Injuries Is Not Proof Of Safety Excellance

I notice that one of the most popular subjects on which I blog is how to “lawfully” incentivize safety.  A number of my Blogs and articles have focused on OSHA’s vigorous attacks on Employer Safety Incentive Programs or on the … Continue reading

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