An employee who said work caused his hearing loss applied for workers’ compensation benefits. But unfortunately for him, he also provided testimony that cast doubt on the assertion that his hearing loss was caused by exposure to noise at work.…
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a proposed heat safety rule that aims to protect workers from extreme heat as persistent heat waves bring record-breaking temperatures across the U.S. The rule, if finalized, would establish the first-ever…
A new U.S. Supreme Court washes away a 40-year-old rule that gave federal agencies broad power to fill in the blanks when federal laws are ambiguous. As a result, courts now have a greater say when it comes to deciding…
If you got stuck in an elevator at work, would you expect to receive workers’ compensation or other benefits? A Virginia employee who found herself in that situation thought she should get workers' compensation benefits, but the state’s workers’ compensation…
A metal refinisher in Houston was cited by OSHA for 44 workplace safety violations for exposing workers to dozens of serious safety hazards. In December 2023, federal investigators opened an investigation at Outdoor Furniture Refinishing Inc., operating as Allied Powder…
After a national company rescinded an Ohio employee’s religious accommodation, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stepped in on the worker’s behalf. Here’s what happened, according to the EEOC’s lawsuit. Accommodation Revoked Charles Lynch was an employee for Wheeler Trucking,…
The Department of Labor has determined that an employer is to blame for injuries suffered by a worker whose face was burned as he was cleaning a machine. Doskocil Manufacturing Inc., which operates as Petmate, became the target of an…
Despite HR's pivotal role in business, recent research has found that a substantial number of employees do not trust HR. Some figures that indicate a troubling disconnect between employees and their HR departments: 43% of small business employees don't feel…
A mobile home manufacturer in Alabama could’ve prevented a 62-year-old roofing laborer’s fatal fall if the employer had followed OSHA’s fall protection standards, a federal investigation found. Because the employer failed to do so, it now faces a hefty penalty…
When are expectant fathers entitled to FMLA leave? And what exactly are they entitled to? What about FMLA leave for new fathers? A new ruling from the Eleventh Circuit provides valuable insight that can be applied when assessing FMLA for…
Is high blood pressure a legitimate reason to take FMLA leave? The question came up in a case from Arkansas. Here was the scenario. An employee missed work without warning for a week. His reasoning? He was just diagnosed with…
In recent weeks, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has been focused on protecting its citizens from wage theft. Here’s what’s happening in the nation’s capital, according to the lawsuit – and what HR can learn…
It’s not too often that a workplace injury as relatively minor as a broken foot leads to a multi-million dollar jury verdict. But due to an unusual set of circumstances, that is exactly what happened in a recent California case…
A recent study found that falls are among the costliest workplace injuries. In fact, they're in the top three workplace injuries with the highest compensation payouts. So when it comes to protecting workers from deadly fall hazards, most employers stand…
The Supreme Court just dealt a blow to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by making it harder for the federal labor agency to win early court injunctions for employees in cases involving labor disputes. By raising the bar that…
If an injury happens at work, does the injured employee always get workers’ comp benefits? In New York, the law sets a presumption that the injury arose out of employment and that workers’ comp benefits are available. But here’s the…
