Workplace Prevention Plan

Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan is Here

It has arrived! The California Division of Occupational Safety & Health has published and released a Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan and information for employers and employees regarding the new workplace safety and violence prevention rules mandated by the recently enacted SB 553. The new law requires almost all California employers to implement a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan by July 1, 2024. Employers who have fewer than 10 employees and are not accessible to the public are exempted from the requirement.Read more

Minimum wage increase

Minimum Wage Goes Up Again for California Municipalities

Here we go again. It’s that time in the summer when San Francisco, Los Angeles and about a dozen cities and counties compete for the title of Highest Minimum Wage in the state. This year, the award goes to the city of West Hollywood, in Southern California, whose new minimum wage of $19.08 will have the honor – or infamy – of being the highest minimum wage in the country.Read more

revised covid rules

It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – Revised COVID Rules

A Plethora of New COVID Rule Abounds

Public Health and Workplace Safety Officials at every level of government have been very busy crafting and issuing new rules and guidance for individuals and employers regarding which COVID-19 protections can be abandoned –and which should be kept–moving forward.

Most of the new rules relax previous standards and regulations and some conflict with one another. This can be confusing for employers.Read more

Arbitration agreements

Mixed News for Employers on Arbitration Agreements

Rulings on arbitration agreements continue to come thick and fast. Arbitration is a dispute resolution procedure where legal disputes are resolved by private arbitrators – typically retired judges – rather than in the public court system. Employers generally consider arbitration to be a more favorable forum for deciding disputes than litigating in court, though the costs to arbitrate are expensive.Read more

CDPD Definition of close contact

Change in Definition of Close Contact

What is the change?

The California Department of Public Health has issued an order changing its definition of “close contact” with regard to notifying potentially impacted employees of their exposure to a COVID-19 positive person in the workplace.  Effective immediately, “close contact” is now defined as either:Read more