Kevin von der Lippe’s Post

Check out APN's latest advice on this #WorldHealthandSafetyatWork week. If you drive for work, make sure to take advantage of Driving for Better Business' free, National-Highways approved resources on safe loading, maintenance, driver welfare, mental health and much more. #YourSafetyMatters #TPN #APN

UK introduces new legislation on crew harassment prevention Among the wide ranging subjects discussed in last month’s ESTELA Breakfast Seminar https://lnkd.in/dvNgYAd3 on crew careers, retention and well-being, was the area of crew harassment at work. Superyacht lawyer and Partner at Keystone Law, Benjamin Maltby, has written for Superyacht News on the impact of amendments to the UK’s Equality legislation coming into force in October 2024. Maltby sets out how the amended Equality Act covers yachts flagged in the UK, or in an EEA member state, or operating in British or adjacent waters, or crewed by British or EEA member nationals. This interesting article explains the renewed onus on owners to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment and where tribunal thresholds may come into play. There is guidance on employment policy, HR practices, training, risk assessment and reporting. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dQyd-Kct

Important comment opportunity coming up!

On this National Lighthouse Day, let's take a moment to thank hard-working employees everywhere who keep people safe and the various ways they keep us safe, like the lighthouse keepers of yore. Workers' compensation is an essential benefit that protects employees when injured. Let's celebrate the people who work hard to keep our workplaces safe and secure! #NationalLighthouseDay #WorkersCompensation #SafetyFirst https://lnkd.in/gd4x2wNC

A Supreme Court decision released last week overturned a 40-year precedent known as the Chevron Doctrine. Under the doctrine, when a federal statute was silent or ambiguous, courts were expected to defer to federal agency interpretations (e.g., for health and welfare benefits, regulations and guidance interpreting federal statutes are generally issued by the DOL, IRS and HHS). Going forward, courts have the power to interpret federal statutes that are silent and ambiguous and are not required to defer to federal agency interpretations. The court case was not benefits-related and does not have any immediate impact on any benefit-related regulations or guidance issued by federal agencies. Employers should continue to follow the current interpretations of agencies such as the DOL, IRS and HHS. However, such interpretations are perhaps more likely to be successfully challenged in the courts over upcoming months and years, potentially creating some confusion and instability for employers who currently rely heavily on federal agency interpretations of various requirements under ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, ACA, tax law and more. For now, employers should stay the course. We’ll see how this plays out over time as agency interpretations specific to health and welfare benefit compliance are challenged in the courts. The Supreme Court’s opinion in Lopez Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo can be found here – https://lnkd.in/eQ4vjV_X 

Tomorrow's CARES session - open to all! 9:00am to 10:15am CARES ONLINE Zoom Link- https://lnkd.in/ezD-E7Uj Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous workplaces in the United States. It is also one of the most unregulated. Fishers are imperiled not only by the obvious risks posed by the cruel and unpredictable nature of the sea, but also because there is no concern for the safety risks posed by the more routine aspects of their job. Fishers work long hours, without rest, and are constantly subject to awkward work postures, repetitive heavy lifting and other ergonomic risk factors that vessel owners are simply not interested in addressing, and which no regulators have even bothered to look at. As a result, they suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, and neck, back and limb injuries at a higher rate than other industrial workers, and are dramatically more prone to the cycle of opioid dependency that all too often ends in death. Fishers are not unionized, and their employment relationship with vessel owners is frighteningly one-sided, leaving fishers deprived of even the most basic of employment benefits. On top of all this, laws which were meant to protect them have developed in such a way that in the event of an injury or death, neither fishers nor their families are entitled to the same measures of damages or recovery that land-based workers are afforded.   

Monday, August 21st (3:30 PM) Workers' Compensation Institute 77th Annual Workers' Compensation Educational Conference in Orlando, R3 Continuum's Managing Director of Security Services Oscar Villanueva will be presenting Workplace Violence & Organizational Disruption: How to Prevent, Mitigate, and Manage Workplace Violence. If you will be in attendance, make sure to be at this presentation, it is a must see. Learn more about Oscar and his presentation here: https://hubs.la/Q01_l54m0 #workplaceviolence #wci2023 #psychologicalsafety #violenceprevention

It's a truly shocking statistic, and there's many more. It's important to understand what your employer's responsibilities are when it comes to the health and safety of you and your colleagues at work. ❗All employers are under a statutory duty to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their staff. This week is Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) Injury Awareness Week and our Personal Injury team have been busy creating resources to help you better understand your rights and responsibilities at work when it comes to staying safe. Starting with a blog that answers the question: 'What are my employer's health and safety responsibilities?'. You can read the blog in full here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gX9XrPRM

See IMPAXX's own Jennifer Shymanski, Tiffany Brunner, and Melissa Perdew at Professionals In Workers Comp (PIWC) Fresno's All Day Conference, February 13th! #WorkersComp #MedicareCompliance #Section111 #CivilMonetaryPenalties #MedicareSetAsides #MSAs #MSPCompliance #MedicareSecondaryPayer #Section111Reporting #ConditionalPayments #WorkersCompensation #CivilMoneyPenalties #TPOC #ORM

Sharing the transcript of my recent SAFETY4SEA Limassol presentation