Treasury Department, IRS Release New Guidance on HSAs -- Occupational Health & Safety

Treasury Department, IRS Release New Guidance on HSAs

Jun 29, 2008

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2008-59, which provides employers and employees with a new set of formal questions and answers on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Since HSAs were created as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Treasury and the IRS have issued a large number of formal guidance items containing questions and answers on HSAs. Notice 2008-59 contains more than 40 new frequently asked questions and answers that cover a wide range of topics, including:

Who is an Eligible Individual;

Issues related to High Deductible Health Plans;

Contributions to HSAs;

Distributions from HSAs;

Establishing an HAS;

Prohibited Transactions;

Establishing an HSA; and

Administration

To view the 28-page document, go to www.discoverybenefits.com/forms.aspx?permalink=299 and click on the PDF icon. The principal author of the notice is Leslie R. Paul of the Office of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Government Entities); she can be reached at (202) 622-6080 (not a toll-free call).

Industrial Hygiene Product Showcase

Donaldson iCue™ Connected Filtration Monitoring

Donaldson's iCue™ Connected Filtration Monitoring technology is designed to remotely monitor a facility’s dust, fume, and mist collection equipment and provide operational insights. When connected to your facility’s dust collection system, the iCue service, can track three sets of operational data relevant to EHS professionals including differential pressure (dP), particulate trend monitoring, and relative airflow. The iCue connected filtration service monitors all three conditions and provides real-time data for accurate compliance reporting. 3
BAND V2

SlateSafety’s BAND V2 is the most rugged, easy-to-use connected safety wearable to help prevent heat stress incidents in the workplace. No additional hardware is needed to monitor large teams performing tough jobs across vast worksites. This physiological monitor worn on the upper-arm measures biometric data and sends real-time safety alerts when customized thresholds are met. BAND V2 includes a wide range of functionality such as worker physiological monitoring, real-time location status, automated work/rest cycles and more. Organizations can keep larger workforces safe with real-time, secure and transparent data. Stop by booth #408 at AIHce for a live demonstration! 3
Emerson Location Awareness

Protect personnel and create safer industrial facilities with Emerson Location Awareness. Enabled by WirelessHART® technology, wearable location tags, location anchors, and user-friendly software, this robust digital safety solution provides relevant-time monitoring of your most valued resource – your people. Digitally transform your facility’s safety practices with features like geofencing, safety mustering, and safety alerts. Geofencing helps keeps workers safe by creating zones of known hazardous locations. Designated areas can also be created for safety mustering in the event of a drill or emergency. And safety alerts enable a quicker and more direct response in emergency situations. 3