Human Resources


SAMHSA Reorients Block Grant Programs

The new approach aims the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to aid millions of currently uninsured Americans who will be covered beginning in 2014 because of the Affordable Care Act.

Treatment Center Cited for Workplace Violence Following Employee's Death

OSHA initiated an investigation in October 2010 following the death of one employee and the wounding of another, allegedly committed by a client at the addiction treatment facility.

DOL Seeks Comments on Electronic Disclosure by Employee Benefit Plans

The Department of Labor recently announced it is soliciting public comments to assist in determining whether and possibly how to expand or modify current rules regarding the electronic distribution of employee benefit plan information.

Workplace Design Changes Help Employees Keep Weight Off, Study Says

Researchers found that simple, low-cost interventions — for example, encouraging workers to take the stairs and making healthy options available in vending machines — helped to avoid employee weight gain.

Free Webinar Covers ADA Changes

Two lawyers from Ballard Spahr's Labor and Employment Group are presenting a one-hour webinar April 7 discussing how employers should prepare for the new guidance and regulations taking effect May 24.

Passive aggressive behavior is a far more subtle form of anger.

Tips for Solving Workplace Violence: Managing Rage

Passive aggressive behavior is by far the most common form of hostility in the workplace. It is a far more subtle form of anger.

Cal/OSHA Launches Heat Illness Prevention Training Program

The training will provide information about employers’ responsibilities under California’s Heat Illness Prevention Standard and will explain changes made to the regulation last August that are now in effect.

Jacqueline A. Berrien, chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

U.S. Chamber Applauds EEOC's Revised ADA Regs

Published in the Federal Register on March 25, the regulations implement the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008. EEOC also changed the Interpretive Guidance, known as the Appendix.



California DIR Fines Contractor $512,700 for Public Works Violations

The Marin County contractor, whose contractor’s license was revoked last May by the Contractor’s State License Board, is also prohibited from bidding on or receiving any public works contracts in California until 2013.

ISEA Launches Business Growth Campaign

Each campaign outlines specific growth objectives and strategies as well as supporting online best practices, tools, and coaching that will be used to achieve these growth targets.

Humantech Seeks Companies to Participate in Ergonomics Study

“We are looking for companies with established and effective ergonomic programs, who are regulated by OSHA, and who may have operations elsewhere in the world," said Walt Rostykus, vice president of Humantech.

OSHA Issues Final Rule on Nuclear, Environmental Retaliation Complaints

The rule covers workers who voice concerns related to nuclear and environmental safety or security under clean air and water, safe drinking water, solid waste, and toxic substances, among others.

Oregon Workplace Fatality Rate Drops to Lowest Level on Record

To some degree, the total may be tied to the economic downturn and increased unemployment.

DOL Releases People with Disabilities Employment Web-based Toolkit

The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has posted an online toolkit comprised of resources to assist federal agencies in recruiting, employing and retaining individuals with disabilities.

Research has shown that bystander CPR can double — even triple — survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Brief Video Training Boosts Hands-Only CPR Attempts: AHA

Research has shown that bystander CPR can double — even triple — survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

NSC Launches New Safety, Health Resource for Employers

The resource combines tools, materials, and activities geared to help an organization develop and maintain a successful needs-based program.

MSA's Fourth Quarter Sales Up, Profits Down

The company’s fourth quarter profit dropped by 8 percent to $12 million, and year-end profit decreased by 12 percent to $38 million. Costs related to the October 2010 acquisition of General Monitors and $10 million in restructuring charges offset revenue growth.

OSHA Orders Company to Rehire Whistleblower, Pay $111,000

In February 2009, after repeatedly complaining to a supervisor about mechanical problems with a truck, the supervisor agreed to the complainant's suggestion to leave work and return when the truck was repaired. The next day, the complainant's employment was terminated.

Chemical Workers Perceive High Risk of Safety Threats, Study Says

Based on a series of seven focus group interviews the researchers facilitated in Belgium, it was suggested that workers' perceptions of risk are rarely taken into account when considering workplace prevention programs.

California Hospital Cited for Workplace Violence Violations

Cal/OSHA penalized the hospital for having an ineffective training program, incomplete and inadequate procedures to deal with safety concerns, and an “incomplete and untimely hazard correction for workplace violence exposures in the emergency department.”

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