January 16, 2026 A bill that would require all businesses, no matter how many people they employ, to use E-Verify, passed the Florida House on Jan. 15. The Florida House passed a bill to require all businesses, regardless of size, to use the E-Verify system. This bill would remove the current law's requirement that only businesses with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify. Supporters argue the measure creates fair competition, while opponents say the system is unreliable an

OSHA gives more time to comply with HazCom changes Washington — OSHA is  extending the compliance dates  for its revised Hazard Communication Standard ( 1910.1200 ) published in  May 2024 . Chemical manufacturers, importers and distributors originally had to comply with the new rules by Jan. 19, 2026, and July 19, 2027, depending on whether they’re  evaluating  substances or mixtures, respectively. Those dates are now May 19, 2026, and Nov. 19, 2027. Employers using products

January 15, 2026 Washington — Nearly 95% of respirator components purchased from two online marketplaces have proved to be fraudulent, according to the results of a recent  case study  conducted by NIOSH. Working with the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH researchers purchased 372 respirator components (240 P100 filters, 124 combination cartridges and eight chemical cartridges) and performance tested them.   Every combination cartridge and chemical car

January 15, 2026 As the new year gets underway, one workplace risk is already clear: the current flu season is shaping up to be one of the more intense in recent years. Public health data shows high and rising flu activity across much of the country, which increases pressure on employers to manage absenteeism, protect employee health, keep operations running, and consider the question of vaccinations (among other things). This Insight outlines what’s different about this flu

January 15, 2026 The chamber has passed an E-Verify bill for the second year in a row. For the second year in a row, the Florida House has greenlit a measure requiring all businesses to use a federal verification tool to determine whether new hires can legally work in the country. HB 197 , sponsored by Rep. Berny Jacques, would mandate that all employers use the online database called E-Verify. This expands a 2023 law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which demanded E-Verify f

January 14, 2026 Employers generally view workplace safety enforcement as a civil problem, with criminal prosecution seen as a rare exception reserved only for the most egregious conduct.   In practice, that assumption is becoming increasingly misplaced. Although criminal safety prosecutions remain relatively uncommon, precedent shows that they tend to arise from predictable fact patterns. This article examines two such scenarios in which employers and their supervisory perso

January 13, 2026 Washington — Employers can help prevent cases of welder’s anthrax – an often-fatal respiratory illness – by using safe work practices that limit exposure to “harmful metal fumes that might predispose welders” to the condition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.   Welder’s anthrax is caused by infection with anthrax toxin-producing  Bacillus cereus  group bacteria. In the  January issue  of CDC’s  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , the a

January 9, 2026 The legal landscape for workplace drug testing is likely to see some significant changes in 2026. This article summarizes the shifts in federal and state policy, continuing and emerging challenges for employers, and what employers can do to be prepared in 2026. Quick Hits President Donald Trump has instructed the U.S. Department of Justice to reclassify marijuana, which could happen in 2026. In recent years, a growing number of states have legalized medical an

January 8, 2026 There’s an old saw in the safety world that says the rules are written in blood. It’s a grim reminder that most workplace safety regulations exist because someone, somewhere, was hurt or killed doing something that now has a rule against it. Sometimes, though, we get a reminder that the blood continues to flow even when the rules already exist. We just have to follow them. In  March of last year , 45-year-old Sunbok You, the CEO of Hyundai subcontractor SBY Am

January 8, 2026 Wide-ranging legislation addresses E-Verify, car accidents, and overseas remittances. Florida businesses that purposely ignore whether employees are legally in the United States could face hefty fines or even criminal charges if they hire more than 50 undocumented immigrants, according to a sweeping new immigration package. Filed Wednesday by Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin, the 34-page bill would presume certain non-citizens are at fault in car accidents, sev

January 7, 20206 Workers' compensation is a system designed to protect employers and employees from "unexpected events happening suddenly." That phrase, or one like it, is featured in various statutes across the country. The Florida version is: “Accident" means only an unexpected or unusual event or result that happens suddenly. But what if the event is neither unexpected nor particularly unusual? What if the event is even intentional? I had thoughts on this recently as a new

January 7, 2026 January 07, 2026 - The federal government has been focused on immigration issues and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been conducting "sweeps" in cities across the United States to identify, detain and deport persons illegally in the country. On Dec. 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Operation Catahoula Crunch, a sweep conducted in New Orleans, has resulted in the arrest of more than 250 illegal or undocume