Workplace Safety / Violence

Salty about Sandy: 20 Hurricane tweets from your employees

October 30, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Hurricane Sandy: Day 2

To my east-coasters, I hope this post finds you safe and dry.

Me? Hey, thanks for asking. Our Philly home kept power throughout and we otherwise made it through unscathed. Still, Philadelphia remains in a state of emergency. The City is essentially shut down. Most of the major surrounding highways have been off-limits. And, for a second day in a row, for the safety of the drivers and the riders, there is no public transportation in the City.

That means that local businesses too opted to close on Monday, and remain closed on Tuesday. Well, most of them.

To the chagrin of some employees affected by the Hurricane, they had to work. And they have vented on Twitter.

(Insert obligatory Hurricane #Sandy and/or “do I have to go to school or work today” status here).

— Chris Schurz (@ChrisSchurz) October 29, 2012

After the jump, what your employees tweeted about working (or, maybe, not so much) during Hurricane Sandy…

[Don’t shoot the messenger]

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An HR guide to the workplace implications of Hurricane Sandy

October 29, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

I’m punching out this post on Sunday night, from my home in Philadelphia, before the brunt of Hurricane Sandy strikes. Like many of you, I’m locked, stocked, and ready to go, hoping that the impact is far less than is forecasted and the recovery is easy.

Inevitably, however, for you good folks — especially if you have closed shop on Monday, employment issues are sure to arise. To help you out with some of them, read on past the jump…

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Big changes coming to the Mine Safety and Health Act?

July 27, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Yesterday, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) reintroduced, for a third time, the “Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act,” which would amend the Mine Safety and Health Act.

What does this bill say (CliffsNotes version)? And what are the chances of passage? Find out after the jump…

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Guest Post: The Problem with Safety Awards

June 22, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Today we have a guest blogger at The Employer Handbook. It’s Kristie Lewis. An expert in the construction industry, freelance writer Kristie Lewis offers tips and advice on choosing the best construction management colleges. She welcomes any questions and comments you might have at Kristie.lewis81@gmail.com.

And if you want to guest blog at The Employer Handbook, then email me.

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OSHA wants employees to blow more whistles

August 2, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

In a press release issued yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it is implementing additional measures to strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Program.

A brief rundown of these new measures follows after the jump…

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Driving + Texting = OSHA all up in your business

October 9, 2010 | by Eric B. Meyer

Congress created the Occupational Safety & Hazard Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. That sounds nice. But my clients and I both know this: you don’t want OSHA sniffing around your job sites.

Now OSHA is expanding its taking aim at a new target: distracted-driving. Read how, after the jump…

5 ways for Pennsylvania employers to prevent workplace violence

September 11, 2010 | by Eric B. Meyer

I remember about a month ago reading a post on Daniel Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog about a shooting involving a Connecticut employer. Actually, at the time, I only skimmed the article. Nine dead. Tragic event. But it happened several hundred miles away.

On September 9, in Northeast Philly, my backyard, an employee who claimed she was fed up with years of constant harassment from neighbors and co-workers, returned to work after her shift had ended clutching a .357 magnum. According to a news report from Philly.com, she pointed the gun at two unarmed security guards — the employer had already taken some precautions against a potential episode of workplace violence — and ordered them to the gate. After the guards allowed the armed employee to enter, she went to a break room where she found four employees. After ordering one to leave, the disgruntled employee opened fire on the other three. Two died at the scene. One is in critical condition

I offer five preventative solutions after the jump…