August Academy of Risk:

Thanks for reading the August Academy of Risk. OSHA recently introduced a major update to the submission rule. This change shows significant emphasis will be around compliance for 2024. Major change for employers with 100 or more employees in the highest hazard industries (new Appendix B) must electronically submit information from the 300A Annual Summary, AND Form 300 Log, and Form 301 Incident Report. 

We have plenty of free resources to walk through and make sure you are prepared before you submit your OSHA logs. Email me back for a 2024 OSHA Submission Guideline. Or we can do a compliance checklist on your current OSHA logs via phone or zoom to ensure you wont be audited. 

As always our goal is to provide information that will help you and your organizations stay safer, healthier and more profitable by improving compliance & overall insurance costs for your company. Thanks for reading this months Academy of Risk email!

August Academy of Risk Articles:

Employer alert: OSHA has a new Injury & Illness Reporting and Recordkeeping rule and Warehousing NEP 

• Learn about OSHA’s new Injury & Illness Reporting and Recordkeeping rule, which will affect more employers and impose more burdensome requirements on certain employers as well as the new NEP for warehouses, distribution centers, and “high-risk retail” establishments…

State of the law: marijuana and the workplace 

• A review of the state of the law looks at one of the most daunting issues facing employers today – maintaining a safe workplace in the ever-evolving landscape of marijuana legality, drug testing restrictions, and the challenges of proving impairment…

How two companies successfully manage musculoskeletal injuries with ergonomics and AI 

• Learn how two companies are using artificial intelligence to observe workers’ movements and identify ways processes and workers’ motions can be modified to reduce musculoskeletal injuries…

HR Tip: EEOC updates and I-9 filing 

• 2022 EEO-1 again delayed, technical guidance on visual disabilities, employers should review religious accommodation policies in light of Supreme Court decision, Revised I-9 form available and optional remote procedure…

OSHA Watch 

• Final rule on Injury & Illness Reporting and Recordkeeping goes into effect January 1, 2024
• New NEP focuses on workplace hazards and injuries in warehousing and distribution centers and “high-risk retail” establishments
• Proposed rulemaking on construction PPE standard
• Stepped up enforcement of heat hazards
• New resources for heat illness prevention
• Proposal on worker walkaround representation under White House review
• MSHA announces long-awaited proposed rule on respirable crystalline silica
• State OSHA: Cal/OSHA
• Definition of COVID-19 ‘outbreak’ changed
• Employers should prepare for many changes in the fall
• State OSHA: MIOSHA
• Ionizing radiation rules governing the use of radiation
• Agency instructions issued
• State OSHA: MNOSHA
• Warehouse Distribution Worker Safety Law
• Recent fines and awards

Legal Corner 

Workers’ Compensation

• High court rejects “take-home COVID” claims - California
• Uber loses challenges to collective PAGA standing - California
• Employers must reimburse stay-at-home workers for expenses - California
• Employers facing thousands of court cases with biometric privacy law - Illinois
• Shipowner not liable for the longshoreman’s injuries caused by unknown dangers - Indiana
• Exclusive remedy applies to medical fee disputes - Missouri
• Benefits denied in several cases related to fear of COVID infection - New York
• Employee who sustained injuries at two separate employers entitled to concurrent indemnity benefits - Pennsylvania

Things you should know 

• Study: Correlation between heat index exceeding 90° F and comp claim costs for lost wages
• New app focuses on disaster response and cleanup safety
• New video spotlights harness inspection safety
• Study: Construction workers at significant risk of developing occupational lung disease
• NIOSH releases dump truck safety guidance
• NIOSH document on self-escape plans for underground coal miners
• Studies on drug trends in workers comp
• Study: Telehealth’s effectiveness in reducing costs depends on type of disease
• State news

For a more in depth look at our tools and services including a free work comp indication schedule a quick online demo with me. or just email me back. I can review how we utilize technology in our risk management process to save your staff time and ensure you remain compliant with all the various government agency changes. Complimentary software include:

• ThinkHR
• Osha logs
• Automate Safety
• Employee Navigator
• Wellness Programs

Note: The material in this eBulletin is provided as general information and is not a substitute for legal or other professional advice.