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Ridgemark Insurance Services
OSHA, Workers’ Comp Implications for Telecommuting
As more Americans work from home than ever before, many employers are wondering about their obligations under OSHA as well as how to reduce the chances that workers may be injured while telecommuting. Obviously, the chances of an injury when working from home are...
New Rules Clear Up Workers’ Comp, Medicare Conflicts
A new law will make it easier for insurers to settle workers’ compensation claims with older workers who are enrolled in Medicare, in an attempt to resolve an issue that can sometimes drive up premiums for affected employers. The law adds transparency by letting...
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Posting Cal/OSHA Form 300A
Employers with 10 or more employees must post their completed Cal/OSHA Form 300A by Feb. 1 and keep it posted in their workplace until April 30. The form must be posted where the company usually posts other employee notices, like minimum wage and workplace safety...
EEOC Issues New COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines for Employers
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has affirmed that employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees, subject to some limitations. The EEOC's updated guidance offers direction regarding employer-mandated vaccinations, accommodations for employees who...
COVID-19 Relief Bill Extends Unemployment Benefits, PPP and More
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act provisions. The legislation also...
Why Every Business Needs Non-Owned Auto Coverage
Even businesses that own fleets of autos sometimes use vehicles that do not belong to them. Often, a business asks an employee to run an errand or visit a customer or vendor using that employee's car. The business may become legally liable for anything an employee...
Top 10 Laws and Regulations Affecting Employers in 2021, Part II
Here is the second half of the top 10 laws and regulations affecting California employers in 2021, changes that organizations need to keep on their radar and prepare for. 6. Wildfire smoke safety regulations With wildfires becoming the new normal in California,...
Top 10 Laws and Regulations Affecting Employers in 2021
Every year starts with a bevy of new laws and regulations affecting employers and businesses in California, and many of the new rules this time around are an outgrowth of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on workers. Employers in California in the year ahead have...
New Law Imposes New COVID-19 Reporting Requirements
California employers already have a lot to digest after Cal/OSHA issued sweeping new COVID-19 safety regulations in November. Now they face additional requirements starting Jan. 1, 2021, thanks to a new law that expands notification requirements and gives Cal/OSHA the...
Commissioner Rejects Coronavirus Workers’ Comp Surcharges
Despite the state’s rating agency asking for a 2.6% increase in workers’ compensation rates due to costs related to the coronavirus pandemic, California’s insurance commissioner has instead ordered that benchmark rates be cut 4.6%. Besides the rate increase, the...