Risk Briefs

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released its performance report for fiscal year 2023, which ended September 30, 2023. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing various federal equal employment opportunity laws. According to the EEOC, “the agency’s performance during FY 2023 reflects both an increased demand for its services and significant remedies for workers who suffered discrimination.” The data contained in its annual performance report can be used to better understand various employment-related liability exposures that continue to pose a significant risk to most employers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently revealed a preliminary list of the most frequently cited safety violations for fiscal year 2023, which ended September 30^th. The announcement, which was made at the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo., is significant because knowing how and why workplace injuries occur puts employers in a better position to develop and implement their own safety and training programs.

The Affordable Care Act’s affordability threshold will be lower in 2024 than ever before. The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that the affordability threshold for employer-sponsored group health plans that begin in 2024 will be 8.39 percent.

Florida employers may be paying less for workers’ compensation insurance next year. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is recommending an average 15.1 percent rate level decrease in Florida’s voluntary workers’ compensation market for 2024.

The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation recently finalized amendments to various administrative rules, including those governing employer penalties and exemption procedures.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently published a final rule that creates a new injury and illness reporting requirement for employers operating in certain industries. As of January 1, 2024, establishments with 100 or more employees operating in designated high-hazard industries must electronically submit injury and illness information to OSHA once a year.

If you are an employer sponsoring an employee group health plan, you must have an ERISA-compliant Summary Plan Description.

What happens if an employee is injured while attending a company-sponsored event? Is the injury covered under their employer’s workers’ compensation policy? Well, that depends.

The Federal Trade Commission recently proposed a new rule that would ban the use of non-compete clauses in employment agreements.

In case you forgot, Florida’s minimum wage is increasing by $1 at the end of the month. On September 30, 2022, Florida’s minimum wage will increase to $11 per hour.

Inflation. Inflation. Inflation. That seems to be what everyone is talking about these days, and with good reason. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the year-over-year consumer price index jumped 9.1 percent in June 2022.

New guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may limit an employer’s ability to test employees for COVID-19 going forward.