Things you should know
OSHA
directs employers to record parking lot injuries
According to an OSHA
letter of interpretation, employers must record incidents in which
employees are injured in company parking lots.
The letter addresses two instances where employees commute from home to
work and park their personally owned vehicles in the company controlled
parking lot. The first employee opened the driver side door and started
to exit his car when he caught his right foot on the raised door threshold.
The employee subsequently fell onto the parking lot surface and sustained
a right kneecap injury. The second employee was in the process of exiting
his pick-up truck when he slipped on a rail used to enter and exit the
vehicle. The employee fell onto the parking lot surface and sustained
a twisted right knee.
The letter notes that “OSHA has made it clear that injuries and
illnesses that occur during an employee’s normal commute to and
from work are not considered work-related, and therefore, not recordable.”
However, “For purposes of Part 1904, the employee’s commute
from home to work ends once he or she arrives at the work environment.”
California
Workers’ Compensation Rating Bureau recommends a 16% rate increase
After
five years of dramatic declines, California’s Workers’ Compensation
insurance may have hit bottom and might soon be going up. While the 16%
increase is only a recommendation by the California Workers’ Compensation
Insurance Rating Bureau, an industry advisory group in San Francisco,
it represents a sharp change in direction from recent years.
Since California is often a precursor for the rest of the nation, the
change has implications for many states.
EEOC
issues guidelines on relationship between ADA and Employer Performance
and Conduct standards
The EEOC issued a comprehensive question and answer guide on the relationship
between the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and workplace performance
and conduct on September 3, 2008. The guide
is primarily designed to help employers navigate tricky situations where
an employee with a known or suspected disability exhibits poor performance
or unacceptable workplace conduct.
Study
finds relationship between good leadership and employee health
A
study published in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine, “Leadership, Job Well-Being, and
Health Effects – A Systematic Review and a Meta Analysis”
finds that there is a relationship between good leadership and work-related
health. Good leadership, defined by such qualities as treating employees
fairly, being truthful and providing motivation, was found to reduce sick
leave 27% and disability pensions 46%.
Web
tool identifies drug names associated with medication errors
Drugs that are frequently involved in medical mix-ups often have brand
or generic names that sound like the names of other drugs. As a service
to healthcare practitioners, industry, consumers, and others, U.S. Pharmacopeial
has developed a free
tool for accessing drug names that have been identified with a medication
error. USP's Drug Error Finder allows a user to search more than 1,400
drugs involved in look–alike and/or sound–alike errors. It
not only lists the other drugs involved in a mix–up, but also designates
the severity of the error where at least one report was received through
USP's Reporting Programs.
Results
of online survey of nurses
An online survey conducted by the American Nurses Association found that
nearly two-thirds of nurses have been stuck accidentally with a needle
while working and that 59% are inclined to work faster and take shortcuts
when they feel pressured.
OSHA
revises National Emphasis Program (NEP) for lead exposure
The goal of the NEP is to reduce blood lead levels in employees by reducing
lead exposures throughout industry. OSHA released a new
instruction in August that takes the place of a previous NEP, issued
in 2001.
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