TUMWATER, Wash.-- December 17, 2002--The Department of Labor and Industries said it will take whatever steps are necessary to provide protection to its inspectors and other employees in the field who occasionally encounter threatening people. A recent example occurred in Winthrop, Okanogan County, in which L&I asked the county prosecutor to file charges against a man who assaulted an L&I electrical inspector. . . .
NEW sections are rare in this magazine. During my seven years as its editor, just one has launched--Workplace Ergonomics--but it was not new.
A bruise, a cut, an eye, a finger, a little lost work . . . the costs of a workplace injury can quickly add up. However, construction safety officers and their supervisors daily weigh these costs against the costs of providing their employees with the proper personal protective equipment.
Employee lawsuits often will catch companies by surprise. Often, though, a worker's application is a tip-off that the employer is hiring a lawsuit that's just waiting to happen. By looking for these 10 danger signals, an employer can avoid hiring a problem in the first place.