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Department of Labor Sets New Goal to Improve Employment for Americans with Disabilities

December 28, 2011 by ·
worker with disability

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a historic new rule that could require federal contractors and subcontractors to establish hiring goals that 7 percent of their workforce be people with disabilities. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is currently soliciting public comment on this proposal, and plans to publish responses in the forthcoming edition of the Federal Register. The OFCCP’s prospective rule would bolster affirmative action requirements set forth in Section … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Employment Attorney, Employment Discrimination, Worker Rights, workers compensation, workers with disabilities

Department of Labor Cites Beauty Salons for Exposing Clients to Formaldehyde

December 24, 2011 by ·
formaldehyde in hair straightening products

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is continuing its campaign to protect workers from potentially toxic effects of formaldehyde exposure. Last month, OSHA fined two salons for neglecting to adopt safety measures that would have protected workers from formaldehyde exposure when applying hair-smoothing products to their clients. Formaldehyde irritates the eyes and nose, causes allergic reactions in the skin, eyes, and lungs, poses the risk of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: L&I, Labor and Industries, Occupational Illness, Worker Injury, workers compensation, Workplace Safety

Workers’ Compensation Required for Taxi and Limo Businesses in 2012

December 23, 2011 by ·
L&I taxi

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, all for-hire drivers in Washington will be required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Under Washington law, “for-hire vehicles” include taxis, cabulances, and limousines. In Washington State, workers’ compensation insurance coverage is offered through L&I (the Department of Labor & Industries). This new mandate regarding for-hire drivers was passed in the 2011 Washington Legislature’s House Bill 1367. What do taxi drivers need to know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Department of Labor and Industries, L&I, Labor and Industries, workers compensation

Study Shows Improved Recovery from Work Related Injuries

December 13, 2011 by ·
Workplace injury

According to this month’s issue of the American Public Health Association journal, Medical Care, studies of occupational healthcare in Washington indicate that improving medical care for injured workers significantly decreases missed work time. The study was conducted by Dr Thomas Wickizer of Ohio State University, College of Public Health, and Dr. Gary Franklin, medical director at Washington State’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). “Work-related disability is a major … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Back Injury, Department of Labor and Industries, L&I, workers compensation, Workplace Accident

Employee Misclassification as Independent Contractors

December 8, 2011 by ·
employee misclassification

The Department of Labor’s recently-launched Misclassification Initiative – initiated though Vice President Joe Biden’s Middle Class Task Force – is showing signs of early success in cracking down on businesses that misclassify workers to cheat them of workers’ compensation benefits and other benefits to which they are entitled. The misclassification of employees as “independent contractors,” for example, harms both workers and the economy as a whole, denying individuals access to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: L&I, Labor and Industries, Uncategorized, workers compensation
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