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FEATURED NEWS
2026-06-12T05:00:00Z
NewsEmergency Planning - OSHAIndustry NewsIndustry NewsSafety & HealthWeather and Natural DisastersEmergency PreparednessEmergency Planning (OSHA)General Industry SafetyU.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)EnglishFocus AreaUSA
CSB urges chemical companies to prepare for hurricane season
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) urges chemical companies to prepare for extreme weather conditions, as the Atlantic Hurricane season is officially underway. Proactive planning and preparation by chemical facilities helps ensure the safety of workers, emergency responders, and surrounding communities from the dangers of chemical releases. According to the CSB, top priorities for limiting severe weather impacts are:
- Securing hazardous materials,
- Ensuring backup power for critical safety systems,
- Training personnel on emergency protocols, and
- Coordinating with local emergency management authorities.
The CSB encourages facilities to review its hurricane preparation resources and implement applicable recommendations.
RECENT INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS
2026-06-12T05:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsSafety and Health Programs and TrainingSafety & HealthConstruction SafetyGeneral Industry SafetyExpert InsightsSafety and Health Programs and TrainingEnglishFocus AreaUSA
Expert Insights: Coaching safety on the front line
Frontline managers play one of the most critical roles in workplace safety, yet they often face the greatest challenges. Positioned between senior leadership expectations and frontline realities, they are responsible for translating and coordinating safety from a written policy into everyday practice.
Whether safety becomes proactive and sustainable or reactive and compliance driven often depends on how well these leaders are supported and equipped to lead.
Reactive or proactive…that is the question
A key shift many organizations must make is moving from a “safety cop” mindset to a “safety coach” approach. Reactive leadership tends to emerge only after an incident occurs, focusing on enforcement and documentation. Proactive leadership intervenes before someone gets hurt by asking questions, listening to employees, identifying hazards early, and working together to fix issues. When safety happens with employees instead of to them, engagement and accountability increase.
That shift begins with upper management who sets the tone, provides resources, and signals what truly matters. True commitment is demonstrated by where leaders focus their time, how visible they are, and how they behave day to day. When safety is linked to business goals such as productivity, quality, and cost control, it becomes part of how decisions are made rather than a competing priority.
Actionable goals for upper management include:
- Link safety to business performance by tying injury trends, near miss data, and hazard correction rates to cost savings and productivity.
- Include safety in leadership key performance indicators and reviews, so leaders are held accountable for participation and results.
- Be visibly involved in safety walks, toolbox talks, audits, and frontline conversations.
- Shift focus to leading indicators such as training participation, near miss reporting, and corrective action closure.
- Recognize proactive safety success, not just react to incidents after they occur.
When senior leaders consistently show these behaviors, they give frontline managers the confidence and support to focus on preventing problems instead of reacting to them.
Safety culture improves when employees help shape it
Safety culture is realized at the employee level. Frontline managers are the bridge between leadership intent and workforce action. Employees are far more likely to engage when they see leaders listen, follow through, and set clear expectations.
Actionable goals for engaging employees include:
- Lead by example every day by consistently following safety rules, procedures, and PPE requirements.
- Involve employees early in hazard assessments, process changes, equipment trials, and pilot programs.
- Define specific, observable safe behaviors for each role instead of using blanket safe work practices and vague messages like “be careful.” •Integrate safety into daily routines such as shift huddles, job planning, and production meetings.
- Make reporting easy and safe with simple tools, anonymous options if needed, and zero tolerance for retaliation.
- Recognize and reinforce safe behaviors through immediate verbal feedback and formal recognition programs.
- Empower stop work authority and openly support employees who speak up when something isn’t safe.
Training reinforces these efforts when it is practical, hands on, and continuous. Adults learn best through real world application, discussion, and reinforcement, not annual check the box training alone. Short toolbox talks, demonstrations, and regular reminders keep safety relevant and actionable.
As you consider your organization’s safety leadership, remember that when leaders support frontline managers who stay connected to their teams, safety is built into how work gets done.
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2026-06-12T05:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsEnglishAssociate RelationsTraining & DevelopmentHR GeneralistIn-Depth ArticleEmployee Mental HealthHR ManagementWellnessUSAFocus AreaHuman Resources
Joy to the workplace
If you look around your office and see happy people, it’s likely that you and other coworkers have a hand in making this happen. New research from Wiley Workplace Intelligence shows that colleagues are a major influence on happiness in the workplace.
Both work and the people we work with can lead to an upbeat feeling. More than 75 percent of the employees surveyed said they feel joy in their work, according to the report. Most also said they:
- Feel motivated to do their best work,
- Feel connected to the people they work with (85 percent), and
- Understand how their role contributes to organizational success (93 percent).
Many employees (39 percent) cited their team as a major influence on their happiness at work. Another 19 percent said they shape their own joy, while only 6 percent credited senior leadership.
This research indicates that the team level is where workplace joy is won or lost. Specifically, it says that "Joy is local.” It’s found in:
- Daily interactions,
- Moments of collaboration, and
- The small but consistent experience of feeling seen by the people you work alongside.
On the other hand, efforts to build joy company-wide through announcements, campaigns, or top-down culture initiatives, may miss the mark.
The research points to these five practical interventions that can help increase joy:
- Focusing on capacity, not just commitment. Even when motivation is high, a shortage of time and resources can cause a frustrating bottleneck. Organizations that want to strengthen hope and joy should ask hard questions about workload, support structures, and whether employees have what they genuinely need to succeed, not just survive.
- Aiming for clarity at every level. Direction doesn’t flow automatically through organizations. It must be actively communicated and reinforced at every level.
- Support managers as a primary intervention. The road to greater hope and joy in an organization runs directly through its managers. Manager well-being should be a priority, not an afterthought. When managers receive clear direction, adequate resources, and more time to accomplish goals, those conditions extend to the people they lead.
- Investing at the team level. Factors that strengthen the relationships of team members, such as everyday recognition and true psychological safety, are investments in the actual source of workplace joy. Joy lives closest to coworkers, not leadership.
- Being intentional about development. Viewing a role as a starting point and working to help people thrive in roles that fit their strengths adds value to their workplace goals. This is an area where intentional development conversations and role design can make a real difference.
Key to remember: Joy in the workplace starts at the team level. Strengthening relationships at the team level can influence overall happiness in the workplace.
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2026-06-11T05:00:00Z
NewsFamily and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)New JerseyLeaveFamily and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)Time offEnglishLeaveHR ManagementAssociate Benefits & CompensationDisability BenefitsChange NoticesChange NoticeHR GeneralistAssociate RelationsFocus AreaHuman Resources
New Jersey Family Leave Act expanded
Effective date: July 17, 2026
This applies to: Employers with 15 or more employees in New Jersey as of July 17, 2026.
Description of change: More employers will be covered by the law, and more employees will be eligible to take New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) leave.
On July 17, 2026, employers with 15 or more employees are covered by the law.
Currently, for employees to be eligible for NJFLA job-protected leave, they must have:
- Worked for the employer for at least 12 months, and
- Performed at least 1,000 hours of work in the last 12 months.
The law is changed such that for employees to be eligible for NJFLA, they must have:
- Worked for the employer for at least 3 months, and
- Performed at least 250 hours of work in the preceding 3 months.
Employees who utilize New Jersey Temporary Disability Insurance benefits (TDI) for their own medical needs have additional protections. Employers must restore employees to their position or a position of equivalent seniority, pay, and benefits upon their return.
Employees control the sequence of what form of leave to use, whether TDI, NJFLA, or earned sick leave; thereby allowing stacking of leave. Employers may not dictate the sequence.
View related state info: FMLA – New Jersey
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2026-06-11T05:00:00Z
NewsDrug and Alcohol TestingDrug and Alcohol TestingMarijuanaSubstance AbuseDisabilities and ADAIn-Depth ArticleUSAHR ManagementEnglishReasonable AccommodationsIndustry NewsHR GeneralistFocus AreaDisabilities and ADAHuman Resources
New landscape: Medical marijuana and the ADA
On April 23, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) rescheduled certain marijuana-related products from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The change affected only some marijuana-based products, making them no longer illegal federally. These include:
- Drug products containing marijuana that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and
- Marijuana that is subject to a state medical marijuana license.
The change doesn’t legalize recreational marijuana, nor does it legalize it in states where medical marijuana isn’t legal. Currently, the FDA has approved one cannabis-derived drug product: Epidiolex (cannabidiol), and three synthetic cannabis-related drug products: Marinol (dronabinol), Syndros (dronabinol), and Cesamet (nabilone). These are available only by prescription.
The ADA
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) excludes from its protections individuals who are currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs, as defined by the CSA. Before this change, marijuana was considered an illegal drug, so employees or applicants who used it didn’t have ADA protections. That meant that, if an applicant or employee tested positive, employers could apply their company policies.
Now that some marijuana products fall into Schedule III, employers will need to tread more carefully. Employers can look forward to the years it will take courts to fully sort out how the change applies to them.
Schedule III drugs
Schedule III drugs are those with “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” and include substances such as opioids, ketamine, and anabolic steroids.
Marijuana is now included in this list, but only if it falls under the accepted categories. Employers are to treat those using it within these categories as they would any Schedule III drug.
Workplace impact
Because state medical marijuana laws often don’t provide explicit workplace protections, this new landscape is likely to increase ADA claims by applicants or employees who have been taken to task at work because of their off-duty medicinal marijuana use.
To avoid the risk of an ADA discrimination claim, employers in states where medical marijuana is legal should treat individuals using it as they would treat any individual using a prescription medication.
In states where medical marijuana isn’t legal, employers need only to consider their ADA obligations for the use of marijuana products approved by the FDA.
Interactive process
Therefore, when applicants or employees ask for a workplace change because of a medical condition, and they lawfully use marijuana for treatment, employers would need to treat it like any other accommodation request, and engage in an interactive process with the employee, with a focus on identifying an effective reasonable accommodation.
Employers still don’t have to allow employees to be under the influence of marijuana at work. No test is yet available, however, to determine whether an employee is under the influence, and therefore, whether the employee's ability to perform their job functions safely and proficiently is impacted by the drug.
Employers should review their related accommodation, drug testing, and discipline policies.
Beginning on June 29, 2026, the DOJ will start hearings to review the broader rescheduling of marijuana, such as for recreational use, from Schedule I to Schedule III.
Key to remember: Employers should keep an eye on the evolving marijuana situation to see if it impacts how they address legal use of medical marijuana, particularly if they base accommodation decisions on use or employment actions on positive tests.
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2026-06-11T05:00:00Z
NewsIndustry NewsIndustry NewsElectronic logging device (ELD)Electronic logging device (ELD)Focus AreaFleet OperationsEnglishTransportationUSA
Last chance to replace your ELDs: 12 total removed from FMCSA’s list
A total of 12 devices were recently removed from the FMCSA’s list of registered electronic logging devices (ELDs).
On May 20, 2026, the following ELDs were removed for not meeting the minimum requirements in 49 CFR 395, Subpart B, Appendix A:
- 888 ELD
- DRAGON E
- ACTION ELD
- Mondo ELD HOS
- FIRST ELD
- FIRST ELD V2.0
- MTL ELD
- USPower ELD
- Sam Freight ELD
- DSGELOGS
- COBRA ELD
- GT USA ELOGS
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has moved these devices to its “revoked devices” list.
Carriers and drivers have until the end of next week on July 20, 2026, to replace them with compliant ELDs.
Many ELD providers remove their devices from the list voluntarily, but the FMCSA has the authority to remove any ELD that does not comply with regulations.
Next steps for commercial carriers
Commercial carriers and drivers who use the above-listed devices must stop using the devices and switch to paper logs or logging software to record their hours of service.
In addition, they must replace the devices with ELDs listed on the FMCSA’s ELD registry and begin using those compliant devices before the posted dates.
ELD providers who correct device deficiencies can be placed back on the list of registered devices. The FMCSA will inform the industry when revoked devices are compliant again.
ELD compliance standards
During the 60-day replacement period, the FMCSA has instructed safety officials to review affected drivers’ hours-of-service data using logging software, paper logs, or the ELD display.
After July 20, respectively, any motor carrier that continues to use the revoked devices will be considered operating without an ELD. Drivers will be placed out of service and cited for “No record of duty status” (395.8(a)(1)).
Review the full list of registered devices at https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/List.
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Copyright 2026 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.