Tag: Kansas

Simulations: The Key to Preparing Rescue Teams for Emergencies

It’s well established that hands-on practice reinforces training content and helps participants perfect their skills before they are called upon to use those skills on the job. In the case of rescue teams, that practice can mean the difference between life and death. Today we take a look at two examples of simulation training in […]

Strike Up Your Struck-By Safety Training with These 8 Tips

A regional emphasis program (REP) for Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska is under way and will continue until at least September 2015. What are the primary causes of vehicle struck-by accidents, and how can you prevent them at your site? In the past 5 years, 15 percent of all workplace fatalities investigated by OSHA’s Kansas […]

Do You Use Training to Help Prioritize Employee Engagement?

The question is: “Why do employees disengage, and how can you motivate managers to make employee engagement a priority?” Here is how our training expert responded: In his book, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtler Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late (AMACOM Books, 2005), author Leigh Branham identifies the […]

Big changes to Kansas Wage Payment Act take effect July 1

by Boyd Byers and Lindsey Smith Significant revisions to the Kansas Wage Payment Act (KWPA) go into effect July 1, changes that give employers more latitude to make payroll deductions to recoup overpayments, loans, and property provided to employees. Under old law, employers could withhold wages only in limited circumstances, such as (1) when specifically […]

Is Your Training Award-Winning?

Johns Manville of McPherson, Kansas, which produces fiberglass insulation materials, was honored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for its commitment to safety. In 2007 Johns Manville earned membership in OSHA’s prestigious “star” Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). The star designation is the highest level in the program. “Johns Manville has exhibited excellence in […]

Was Injured Employee Adequately Trained On Safety Procedures?

What Happened “Brendan” worked for National Starch & Chemical Company, now known as ICI American Holding Company, for 30 years before he was injured on the job on October 20, 2007. Brendan, a mechanic, was injured when he and another employee tried to replace three broken drive belts on a “blending blower” in the company’s […]

DOL, IRS, Congress Want to ‘Help’ Workers Who Think They Are Misclassified as Independent Contractors

by Vaughn Burkholder and Tara Eberline What do the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Congress have in common? Sound like a setup for a bad joke? The punch line is that each of those federal entities has announced its intention to focus on employers’ misclassification of employees as independent […]

The Wild, the Innocent, and the Super Bowl Shuffle

by Boyd A. Byers Super Bowl Sunday is February 7. About 140 million Americans will watch the game on TV, and 20 million will attend a Super Bowl party. While doing so, we’ll eat 20 million pounds of potato and tortilla chips. Let’s look at some other Super Bowl-related numbers for you to ponder in […]

Supreme Court Affirms Arbitration for Union Member Discrimination Claims

A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that clearly and unmistakably require union members to arbitrate age discrimination claims are enforceable. While the decision is unlikely to affect many employers, the ruling is the latest in a series of Supreme Court decisions finding arbitration to be […]