A growing number of job-seekers are facing new requirements: “no smoking.” And this doesn’t just apply at work, but in their personal and home life as well. As smoking bans spread across the country, more and more employers — primarily hospitals — are also banning smokers themselves. They refuse to hire applicants whose urine tests positive for nicotine, which includes not only cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, but also patches. These tobacco-free hiring policies are meant to … [Read more...]
A newly-created TV and Internet advertising campaign is encouraging Washington state employers to offer light-duty jobs to employees during periods where they are recovering from workplace injuries. This “Stay at Work program” through the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) was enacted by the Legislature in 2011. The program reimburses employers for one half of an injured worker’s base wages plus a portion of training costs, tools and uniforms a worker might need to perform a … [Read more...]
Construction jobs rank among the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Every year, thousands of individuals in Washington suffer from construction site accidents or workplace fatalities. Frequent causes include: Scaffolding accidents Falls Crane accidents Accidents involving compressed gases or chemicals Defective machinery or equipment Explosions Welding and cutting accidents Construction Site Accident Attorneys Workers who have been injured on the job often find it difficult to … [Read more...]
Our blog had posted a number of articles on household income and spending in the U.S., and have often analyzed data based on the familiar divisions of race, class, education, geography and social privilege. But as a recent infographic on Planet Money points out, there's another, useful variable to consider: Age. Families headed by middle-aged earners and bring in nearly $20,000 more every year, on average, than households of people in their late 20s or early 30s. But some are … [Read more...]
On the heels of news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating links between the 5-Hour Energy drink and 13 deaths over the past few years, the product’s manufacturer is defending the safety of its caffeine-loaded “shots” when users follow the guidelines as directed on the bottle. After the New York Times reported that the FDA is investigating those deaths (all of which occurred during the past four years), the FDA confirmed that report. The investigation is bears … [Read more...]
