labor lawAdivision of labor law center

According to a report just issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, employers have succeeded in reducing workplace injuries.

Required safety posters, on display at every workplace, are one of the tools that have made this achievement possible.

According to the BLS, the rate of workplace injuries and illnesses declined for the fifth consecutive year.

When accidents do occur, employers can report them, and plan corrective actions, using the Accident/Injury Report.  

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that approximately 4 million work-related injuries and illnesses occurred in 2007.  This translates to a rate of 4.2 nonfatal injuries for each 100 full-time employees. That rate is a 4.5% reduction from the 4.4 injuries per 100 in 2006.

Every employer is required to (more…)

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit on September 25, 2008 against Houston-based CEMEX Inc. for overtime violations. The suit maintains that the company failed to pay $5 million in overtime to more than 2,000 drivers from eight states. The employees were drivers of ready-mix concrete trucks.

CEMEX, founded in Mexico in 1906, provides cement and other building supplies for the construction industry. The company’s website claims it employers more than 60,000 employees in 50 countries on 5 continents.

Affected employees of CEMEX worked in Texas, (more…)

In response to a number of fatal accidents involving cranes, OSHA announced new regulations regarding crane and derrick safety on September 18. Employers can comment on the regulations published in the Federal Register, however, OSHA reserves the right to adopt the regulations as is without further notice.

A complete copy of the new regulations is available here.

“The cranes and derricks proposed rule (more…)

On September 24, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a grant of more than $15 million to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Of the total grant, $7.9 million will be released initially. The balance will be released as the state demonstrates a continued need for disaster assistance.

“This $15.9 million National Emergency Grant  will put several hundred Texans to work helping communities recover from Hurricane Ike damage,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “This grant will also fund humanitarian assistance such as food, clothing, shelter and other critical aid that Texans affected by the hurricane devastation are in need of.”

The grant, totaling $15,883,200 will be used to (more…)

 A new law will primarily affect larger employers in Kansas.

The state Department of Labor recently introduced regulations that require large employers to file their quarterly unemployment tax contributions online. While online filing has been an option for several years, until recently employers could choose not to use it. Now, it is mandatory.

The Kansas Department of Labor bills the online system as simple, quick and secure, and few employers report problems with it.

“If they’re not doing so already, we want Kansas employers to (more…)