Our crack Workplace Safety team has a bulletin explaining the new guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on its "Reasonable Reporting Procedures" rule, less catchily known as §1904.35(b)(1)(iv). The good news is that OSHA's restrictions on post-incident drug testing are fairly mild. But there are many unanswered questions about how the rule will ...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has delayed for a second time the enforcement date of its new "Reasonable Reporting Procedure" rule as it pertains to post-accident drug testing and safety incentive programs. The new enforcement date for the rule is December 1.

The rule was scheduled to take effect on August 10, and then OSHA extended the ...

Well, maybe not light reading, but good reading about good news that you won't want to miss! Here are our bulletins and other publications from the last week, in case you missed them:

*Heather Owen is already shooting off Fourth of July fireworks at the FOCUS women's leadership blog because our firm was named this week by the National Law Journal as the fourth best law firm in the ...

Who's been naughty and who's been nice in labor and employment law? Here are my picks for 2015. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

NAUGHTY!

The National Labor Relations Board, for being naughty in too many ways to mention. Its rules on employer handbook policies, including confidentiality and social media, are unrealistic and almost impossible for employers to legally follow ...

NOTE FROM ROBIN: This is the third and final installment of David Smith's series on the latest developments from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (But we hope he'll be back soon!)

In August, OSHA issued a revised version of its 2006 Directive on the Agency’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations that includes an updated list of 80 industries ...

NOTE FROM ROBIN: This is the second in a series by David Smith of our Occupational Safety and Health Practice Group on some of the latest developments from the agency. 

Last week, I posted about OSHA's expected final rule on a public database of workplace injuries and illnesses. While that expected rule would require employers to submit their injury and illness records to ...

NOTE FROM ROBIN: I am delighted that David Smith will be posting here as a guest for the next few weeks. David is a partner in our Atlanta office and member of our firm's Occupational Safety and Health practice group. He'll be catching us up on the latest from OSHA.

A draft final rule on electronic tracking of employers’ injury and illness records has been sent to the White ...

Employers, if you're getting advice like this from your employment lawyer, do you know what time it is? Time to get a new employment lawyer.

"Never give in on unemployment."

This is terrible advice on so many levels. First, an employee who doesn't have even the relatively minimal income provided by unemployment is going to be that much more likely to sue you -- as a matter of financial ...

When it comes to Halloween in the workplace, just call me Scrooge.

A reader writes,

Hi, Robin. I dread the prospect of employees coming to work in inappropriate Halloween costumes. I've seen costumes that are sexually provocative, or that reflect racial or ethnic stereotypes. Some people even say that employers shouldn't have Halloween parties because some employees have religious ...

David Smith of Constangy’s OSHA practice group is co-author of this post.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are tag-teaming transportation employers. They’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which they agree to share information about allegations of safety, coercion, and retaliation.

And ...