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HR Management

Employees bringing their smartphones to work? 6 ways to manage the legal risks

07/09/2012
Employees’ use of personal smartphones (and tablets such as iPads) raises risks not present when employees use company-issued de­­vices. Advice: Take these six steps before allowing employees to use their personal e-tools for work.

Buffalo cheese maker melts under OSHA heat

07/05/2012
Buffalo-area cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis faces $241,000 in fines following an OSHA inspection that revealed numerous hazards at its plant.

The HR I.Q. Test: July ’12

07/02/2012
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz.

Top management wants to ax ‘troublemaker’? Beware wrongful termination retaliation

07/01/2012
There are some things employers just can’t do, no matter what a senior manager may want. For example, you can’t punish a good employee for pointing out potential legal violations.

OSHA inspector’s drive-by results in six-figure fine

06/28/2012
A random coincidence has resulted in a costly fine for a Lancaster County construction firm. OSHA cited Quality Stone Veneers for eight safety violations after an OSHA inspector noticed substandard scaffolding when he drove by a residential construction site.

Football-themed safety incentives cut accidents

06/28/2012
Coal miners, supervisors and mine-safety directors who participated in Massey Energy’s football-themed safety contest cut loss-time accidents at the West Virginia coal company by 47% in just one year. The company estimates it reduced the cost of lost-time accidents by $5 million.

Charlotte Cintas becomes NCOSHA safety ‘Star’

06/27/2012

Cintas Uniform’s Charlotte facility has been named recipient of the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program’s Star Award. It’s North Carolina’s highest recognition for exemplary occupational safety and health practices.

Judge fed up with All-Feed in OSHA inspection case

06/25/2012
A federal judge has cited Alpha-based All-Feed Processing & Pack­­ag­­ing Inc. for contempt after it refused to allow OSHA inspectors full access to its Galva facility.

A ‘sledgehammer’ to social media policies

06/22/2012
Even if you included a new social media policy in your employee handbook recently, it’s time to review it again. The NLRB issued a report recently that called into question the legality of some of the wording employers commonly use in their social media policies.

How far must we go to accommodate employees’ unusual religious beliefs?

06/20/2012
Q. We have an employee who claims to be a witch. She contends that witchcraft is her religion and has asked for certain holidays off. Are we required to accommodate this employee’s request?