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Copyright 2025 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.
FEATURED NEWS
2025-12-04T06:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsSafety and Health Programs and TrainingSafety & HealthConstruction SafetyGeneral Industry SafetySafety and Health Programs and TrainingIn-Depth ArticleEnglishFocus AreaUSA
Making safety stick: Seven steps for supervisors
Safety professionals know that building a strong safety culture is more than just repeating slogans like “stay safe out there.” Sustainable safety happens when it’s woven into the daily routines and attitudes of every worker.
Supervisors play a critical role in this process and bridge the gap between high-level safety goals and what actually happens on the job site. To make safety stick, supervisors must turn broad initiatives into clear, practical actions that workers can see, understand, and follow every day.
1. Start with inclusion
One of the most effective ways to build a safety culture is to involve front-line workers from the beginning. When workers participate in hazard assessments or help pilot new safety initiatives, they’re more likely to take ownership. This sense of ownership makes safety feel like something they control, not just something imposed from above.
For example, a manufacturing supervisor might invite experienced machine operators to help evaluate a new lockout/tagout procedure. Their insights can improve the process and ensure it’s realistic for daily use.
Actionable step:
- Invite workers to join hazard assessments and pilot programs.
- Ask for feedback on new procedures before rolling them out.
2. Define specific behaviors
Vague goals like “improve safety culture” don’t necessarily resonate with workers. Instead, break initiatives into specific, observable actions. If the goal is to reduce slips and falls, define behaviors such as “wipe up spills immediately” or “wear slip-resistant footwear in wet zones.” These clear expectations help workers know exactly what’s required.
Actionable step:
- List out specific behaviors for each safety goal.
- Communicate these behavioral expectations clearly to all team members.
3. Communicate simply and visually
Safety messages should be easy to understand and remember. Use plain language and visuals such as posters, infographics, and short videos to reinforce key points.
For instance, a warehouse might display a visual checklist near the loading dock showing proper lifting techniques and PPE requirements. This keeps safety top-of-mind without overwhelming workers with too much reading required.
Actionable step:
- Use posters and infographics, especially in high-traffic or high-hazard areas.
- Share short videos or visual guides during meetings.
4. Integrate safety into daily routines
Repetition builds habits. Supervisors should weave safety into daily routines through shift huddles, toolbox talks, and pre-task checklists.
As an example, a construction supervisor might start each morning with a five-minute safety briefing, highlighting potential hazards for the day and encouraging questions. These micro-interactions reinforce safety as a shared responsibility.
Actionable step:
- Begin each shift with a brief safety talk.
- Use checklists before starting tasks.
5. Recognize and reward safe behavior
Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator. Recognize workers who consistently follow safety rules or report hazards. This could be as simple as a shout-out during a team meeting or a small reward like a gift card or company swag. When workers see that safety is valued, they’re more likely to prioritize it.
Actionable step:
- Publicly acknowledge safe behavior.
- Offer small rewards for safety milestones.
6. Provide hands-on training
People learn best by doing. Offer hands-on training that simulates real scenarios. For example, a manufacturing plant might run spill response drills where workers practice containment and cleanup procedures. This experience builds confidence and ensures workers are prepared when it counts.
Actionable step:
- Schedule regular drills and hands-on training sessions.
- Use realistic scenarios to reinforce learning.
7. Make reporting easy and safe
Workers won’t report hazards if the process is complicated or if they fear retaliation. Provide simple, anonymous reporting tools such as mobile apps, paper forms, or even an anonymous drop box. Most importantly, act on reports and communicate what’s been done or not done. Closing the loop shows workers that their voices matter.
Actionable step:
- Set up easy-to-use reporting systems.
- Follow up on reports and share outcomes with the team.
Key to remember: Make safety stick by turning it into something simple and actionable. Empower your team by listening, teaching, and rewarding safe choices. When people feel involved and valued, safety becomes a natural part of the job and a shared responsibility.
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RECENT INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS
2025-12-04T06:00:00Z
NewsPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOTChange NoticesChange NoticeHazmat SafetyHazmatFocus AreaUSAEnglishTransportationHazmat Rulemaking procedures
PHMSA Proposed Rule: Hazardous Materials: Modernizing Regulations To Facilitate Transportation of Hazardous Materials Using Highly Automated Transportation Systems
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is publishing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to obtain stakeholder input on potential revisions to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to facilitate the safe transportation of hazardous materials using highly automated transportation systems.
DATES: Comments must be received by March 4, 2026, to ensure consideration. However, PHMSA will consider late-filed comments to the extent possible. Published in the Federal Register December 4, 2025, page 55836.
View proposed rule.
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2025-12-04T06:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsFleet SafetyElectronic logging device (ELD)Electronic logging device (ELD)Focus AreaIn-Depth ArticleEnglishTransportationUSA
New ELD vetting process could mean fewer surprises
An overhaul to the way electronic logging devices (ELDs) are approved in the U.S. could reshape the ELD marketplace and deliver new peace of mind to motor carriers and drivers.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a new ELD vetting process that promises to tighten the reins on unscrupulous or non-compliant ELD providers. The change comes after years of industry frustration with self-certified devices that may not always be compliant, leading to violations and costly replacements.
Focus: ELD applications
While the agency calls the change a “complete overhaul of the [ELD] vetting process,” it remains focused solely on verifying the accuracy and completeness of ELD provider applications. It falls short of implementing a third-party certification system like Canada’s, which many experts believe would provide a more robust guarantee of ongoing compliance and device integrity.
The new process comes in a year when the FMCSA has revoked 30 ELDs so far, surpassing last year’s total of 21 and nearly doubling the number revoked in 2023. ELDs are typically revoked with no warning, leaving users scrambling to replace them before a 60-day deadline.
The vetting process
Loopholes in the previous vetting process allowed ELD providers to register non-compliant devices, or even re-register devices that had been revoked. The FMCSA’s new process introduces a multi-layered review, including:
- Initial review: Verification of contact information, technical specs, and device images.
- Fraud detection: Cross-checking applications against active, inactive, revoked, and in-process lists.
- Categorization: Applications are sorted into four categories based on their degree of compliance and documentation, as they advance to the approved stage.
What it means — and doesn’t mean — for carriers
The new vetting process aims to block fraudulent or non-compliant devices before they ever reach the FMCSA’s Registered ELD list. This may reduce — but not eliminate — the risk of sudden device revocations and the scramble to replace them.
However, the enhanced vetting process does not mean motor carriers can sit back and assume all devices on the Registered ELD List are fully compliant or immune to future issues. While the FMCSA’s new process is more rigorous, it is not a guarantee of ongoing compliance or performance.
Carriers still bear responsibility for due diligence — selecting ELDs from trusted providers with a proven track record of regulatory compliance and industry support. By partnering with reputable vendors, carriers can better protect themselves from unexpected disruptions and ensure their operations remain in line with federal requirements.
The bottom line
For motor carriers and drivers, the FMCSA’s new ELD vetting process means fewer compliance headaches, less risk of sudden device removals, and a more trustworthy ELD marketplace. However, the lack of third-party certification means carriers must still do their homework when selecting an ELD provider.
Key to remember: The FMCSA has announced a new ELD vetting process that promises to prevent non-compliant devices from reaching the Registered ELD list.
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2025-12-04T06:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsIndustry NewsEnforcement and Audits - OSHAOSHA InspectionsSafety & HealthConstruction SafetyGeneral Industry SafetyAgriculture SafetyMaritime SafetyFocus AreaEnglishOSHA Violations and PenaltiesUSA
OSHA extends citation response deadline to Dec. 4
Employers who received OSHA citations between October 1 and November 12 have been given additional time to respond. The new date for submitting responses is December 4.
Typically, employers have 15 “working days” from the date a citation is received to comply with the citation, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings. However, due to the government shutdown, OSHA wasn’t fully operational, and the 43-day period during which the agency was closed is not counted as part of the “working days.”
According to a December 2 press release, penalties and citations may be subject to change throughout the case process. Employers should review the OSHA establishment search page regularly to monitor any updates to their inspection or penalty status.
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2025-12-04T06:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsHR GeneralistFamily and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)In-Depth ArticleFamily and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)HR ManagementEnglishUSAFocus AreaHuman Resources
FMLA for an employee detained by ICE
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has detained several individuals, many of whom are employees. If an employee is detained and subsequently suffers a serious health condition, an employer might wonder if the employee would be entitled to take job-protected leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
FMLA leave entitlement
Eligible employees who work for covered employers are entitled to take FMLA leave for qualifying reasons, regardless of their immigration status.
Assuming that if a serious health condition made them unable to perform one or more job functions, then they can take leave. The FMLA doesn’t restrict why the condition began or where the employee is at the time. Those details aren’t addressed in the FMLA regulations.
When employees put their employers on notice of the need for leave for a reason that might qualify for FMLA protections, the employer’s FMLA obligations are triggered. They must give the employee an eligibility/rights & responsibilities notice within 5 business days. If an employee is detained, however, the employer might not know how to get this notice to the employee.
Certification
In most cases, employers may require employees to give them a certification supporting the need for FMLA leave. For medical conditions, this must come from a health care provider. A detained employee might not have the opportunity to obtain treatment from a health care provider, thus making it difficult to get the required certification.
Employers aren’t, however, required to ask for a certification. They may make exceptions to such a requirement if they wish.
Otherwise, the employee is responsible for getting the certification.
State laws
Currently, no state has a law specifically protecting employees who are detained. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would have required California employers that are aware of an employee who’s detained or incarcerated due to a pending deportation or immigration proceeding to place the employee on unpaid leave for up to 12 months. During the 12 months, the employee would have had the same reinstatement rights as employees terminated for lacking work authorization.
The measure would also have allowed workers to take up to 5 days of unpaid leave to attend to immigration-related matters. Consideration of the governor's veto is pending.
Key to remember: Whether a detained employee is entitled to FMLA leave protections depends on all the facts, including whether they provide the requested certification.
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2025-12-03T06:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsWage and HourWage and HourAssociate Benefits & CompensationHR GeneralistSalary deductionsFair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)In-Depth ArticleHR ManagementEnglishFocus AreaHuman ResourcesUSA
May employers require exempt employees to use PTO for half-day absences?
‘Tis the season for time off. Complying with wage and hour laws can be tricky, but especially at this time of year, when many employees are coming and going, whether due to vacations, holidays, or illnesses.
Tracking nonexempt employees’ hours is pretty straightforward. However, employers should know that they may require exempt employees to use paid time off (PTO) for absences of less than a full day, but doing so depends on several factors.
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers must pay exempt employees their full salary for each week they perform any work. If they don’t, employers risk an FLSA violation, and those employees could lose their exemption.
Employers may deduct from exempt employees’ accrued paid time off (PTO) leave bank for partial-day absences. This, essentially, requires exempt employees to use their PTO for absences of less than a day. Employers must, however, be careful.
Where employers have a benefits plan (e.g., vacation time, sick leave), they may reduce the accrued leave for the time an employee is absent from work, whether the absence is a partial day or a full day, without affecting the employee’s exemption, as long as the employee receives their guaranteed weekly salary.
This is true even if the employee has no accrued benefits in the leave plan and the account has a negative balance.
Full-day absences
If employees are absent for 1 or more full days for personal reasons (e.g., car repair), other than sickness or disability, employers may deduct from their salary, as opposed to their PTO bank.
If, for example, an exempt employee is absent for 2 full days to move to a new house, the employer may deduct from the employee’s weekly salary for the 2 days. If, however, the employee is absent for 1.5 days, the employer may deduct from the employee’s salary only for the 1 full-day absence. The employer may deduct from the employee’s PTO bank for the partial-day absence.
While employers don’t have to have a bona fide sick leave plan, they may make such deductions due to absences related to sickness or disability only if they have one. Employers must communicate the plan to eligible employees and follow the plan.
To be bona fide, employers must administer the plan impartially, and its design shouldn’t reflect an effort to evade the salary-basis requirement.
Whether a particular plan is bona fide would be based upon the actual design of and practices applicable under the plan. A PTO plan might qualify as bona fide even though it’s not exclusively for use during sickness or disability.
Assuming that a bona fide plan exists, employers may make deductions from an employee’s salary for absences of 1 or more full days because of sickness or disability before the employee has qualified under the plan and after the employee has exhausted their PTO/sick leave.
Key to remember: Employers may deduct from exempt employees’ PTO bank for partial-day absences.
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Copyright 2025 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.