Even with “employment-at-will”? protections, problems can arise when terminating employees.

Employers that take the “employment-at-will” concept too literally can be looking at potential legal difficulties.  If a complaint is brought to court then a human factor from judges and juries come into play. The human factor can eliminate the “black and whiteness” of the employment-at-will concept and put you in danger of losing a large lawsuit.

Employment Law Attorney Jonathan Segal suggests employers follow these guidelines to protect themselves from the human factor of employee terminations:

            Use progressive discipline

            Use the same person who hired to fire

            Drop problem workers in the first 90 days

            When you document, cite specifics

            Avoid absolutes, but have absolute reasons for termination

            Do not list all of the little things

            Do not describe a problem worker in medical terms  

Proper ladder selection, inspection and use can help prevent fall and injuries in the workplace.

The following information can prevent a ladder related accident.

Use a ladder, not a chair to reach heights. The ladder should be:

    Tall enough the height you need

    Rated to handle the combined weight of you and your equipment

     Don’t use metal ladders around electricity, because metal is a conductor.

The distance from the ladder’s base to the wall should be one-fourth the ladder’s length.

Place it on a level floor or ground, with feet parallel to the surface it rest on.

By following these simple rules you can help keep the workplace safe. Also did you know that ladders have rating? The rating are:

I-A 300 pounds

I    250 pounds

II   225 pounds

III  200 pounds

For more details on ladder safety check out OSHA ladder safety website below.

See Also

• OSHA- Ladder Safety
  The OSHA Standard for portable ladders contains specific requirements designed to ensure worker safety:

OSHA has recently updated their website and will have additional updates responding to the swine flu alert.

OSHA updated their website to answer questions regarding workplace safety in relation to the swine flu (H1N1). In the next few days additional information will be added, including new QuickCards and fact sheets. OSHA’s updated Pandemic Influenza Safety and Health Topics page can be found at: http://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/pandemicflu/index.html

The CDC has some very good information for employers and employees concerning this years influenza season.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recently updated their website with a Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers to prepare for the upcoming influenza season.  With the concern of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) coming back around this season, the CDC has some helpful information for employers and employees to help prevent the spread of the flu.  Included in the toolkit are communication pieces addressing steps that employers can take to keep their workplace healthy, suggested actions to design an influenza plan, posters, and notices to employees on staying healthy during this flu season.  The CDC webpage where the toolkit can be found is here: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/toolkit/

StaffScapes highly recommends that our clients review these suggestions and create an influenza plan to prepare for this season.  Employees should not come in to work if they are infected and businesses should plan for having higher than normal employee leaves this year.  Preparing now can help businesses get through the trying times that happen when higher percentages of employees are missing from work.