#workplace-safety
Workplace safety programs, employer obligations, and injury and illness prevention practices for small and mid-size businesses
Connecticut's SB 298, effective July 1, 2026, requires warehouses with 250+ employees at one site (or 1,000+ across sites) to disclose productivity quotas in writing, retain three years of work-speed records, and answer employee data requests within 10 days, with a rebuttable presumption of retaliation for adverse actions taken within 90 days.
IKO's Basic Instructor Membership covers instructors for recreational liability but excludes students during lessons unless the instructor teaches through a recognized IKO Center, a coverage gap kiteboarding schools should reflect in separate insurance sub-accounts, fleet depreciation schedules, and worker-classification decisions.
OSHA's April 2026 National Emphasis Program targets 55 high-risk industries for heat-illness inspections, with citations starting at $16,550 per violation — here's the written plan, acclimatization schedule, and state rules small employers need to stay compliant.
A business's workers' compensation experience modification rate (E-Mod) compares actual claims losses to expected losses for its industry and payroll size, and it stays in effect for three policy years, so a single claim can raise premiums for years after an injured employee returns to work.
A 2026 compliance guide to OSHA's Form 300, 300A, and 301 injury and illness recordkeeping under 29 CFR Part 1904 — who must record, the four-step recordability test, electronic Injury Tracking Application submission for Appendix B high-hazard establishments with 100 or more employees, severe-injury reporting timelines under § 1904.39, state-plan deltas, and how to build a program that survives an OSHA audit.
