Style and Safety | Benefit of Workplace Safety Posters

Whether they be accidents, long-term wear and tear, or social issues, employees are exposed to many unsafe situations which can result in serious consequences —both for the company and themselves. As an employer, it is a required responsibility to look out for the well-being of the employees and create an environment of awareness and precaution. 

It’s no secret that accidents happen. However, there is a way to prevent such unfortunate occurrences. The main goal of workplace safety posters is to promote awareness about work related issues and injury prone situations. The proper display of this information can promote a dramatic decline in the likelihood of unpleasant events. Placing posters throughout the workplace will result in a smoothly ran company with knowledgeable and cautious employees.

By implementing workplace safety posters, the employees will become well educated about crucial information in order to protect themselves.

 By law, employers are required to display necessary warnings and obvious safety precautions such as hardhat posters at a construction site and washing your hands at a food establishment. However, there are other vital practices and key information that should be made accessible in the workplace as well. In office jobs, employees sit for hours and endanger themselves to developing long lasting back problems due to bad posture. If they had an example of preventative practices, the risk of these problems would be reduced immensely. On a social level, posters about bathroom etiquette can prevent messy, unprofessional looking lavatories and conflict among employees. 

Do they have to look so bland?  

Make safety attractive by putting up vibrant, attention grabbing posters that have a unique edge and allow these posters to compliment your workplace rather than clash. Don’t make this high-priority information an eye sore with boring text and graphics that will likely be overlooked. Appealing safety posters will give off a positive mood while encouraging employees to practice techniques that are necessary to preserve the overall wellness in the workplace.

  

After all, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Protect Your Rights | Texas Labor Laws

Last November, Houston City Council adopted a labor ordinance in order to protect workers and to discourage companies from attempting wage theft. Under this ordinance, any firm or person that is found guilty of committing wage theft will be banned from renewing 46 types of permits, licenses, and warrants issued by the city. Not only will they not be able to renew these authorizations, firms will appear on a public database that will allow potential employees to know which companies have been convicted. Up until recently, few complaints have been filed. Just this week, one of the first to file a complaint under the new ordinance was Erik Lopez and his 3 brothers who claim to have been victims of wage theft.

Erik and his brothers have worked 80-hour weeks doing manual construction labor throughout Texas without proper compensation by their employer: Bradley Demolition and Construction. According to Erik, the company did not follow proper Texas labor law protocols. They were denied tax forms, overtime pay, and unfortunately given cash or personal checks to stay off the company’s books. This is a major issue in the workforce due to the fact that most employees do not file complaints which means that companies will continue to take advantage of workers. Labor laws are in place to help deter employers from exploiting employees. It becomes an issue in the labor workforce when workers are so afraid that they are not even willing to file complaints. According to Executive Director of Faith and Justice Worker Center, Laura Perez-Boston, nearly 100 wage theft complaints are filed on a daily basis. This may seem like a lot; however she states that this is just a very small portion of the people who have been dealing with this problem.

Compliance with Texas labor laws has been a progressing issue within the last year. This past February, a lawsuit was launched against Wessam Aldeeb, who is a Principal of Franchise Operations with stores throughout Texas. Some stores under this franchise include Subway, Great American Cookies, and Marble Slab Creamery. Like Erik Lopez, employees of Wessam claim that they have been denied overtime pay on several occasions. Wessam debated these accusations stating that they care about their employees and would not violate any regulations. The lawsuit was backed by 125 current and former workers who are defending the claims. Hopefully with the new ordinance implemented, companies will be more compliant with all labor laws. For more information regarding Texas labor laws visit http://www.usalaborlawposters.com/

Understanding Labor Laws | California

California logistics company, Pacer Cartage, has been required to pay back $2.2 million to seven of their drivers for misclassifying them as independent contractors. This is a huge victory for truckers who have been battling this lingering problem. Just last November, truck drivers with Pac9 Transportation, participated in a one day strike to address the issue of misclassification of being an independent contractor.

The problem of misclassification as independent contractors comes down to the California labor laws that protects workers from issues like wage theft. Since Pacer Cartage classified several of their workers as independent contractors, it allowed them to avoid paying specific wages that the truckers should have received. California Labor Commissioner's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DSLE) states that Pacer Cartage should have known that these truck drivers must be labeled as employees rather than independent contractors.

The parent company of Pacer Cartage, XPO Logistics, states that they will attempt to appeal the ruling made by DSLE, however, odds looks quite slim. Over time, hundreds of complaints have been filed and just two weeks ago DSLE ruled in favor of 30 different cases. Workers are appalled by the lack of compliance with labor laws. One trucker even stated that they make less wages than McDonalds. This is an interesting statement because even McDonald workers have seen their fair share of wage theft. According to LA times 2014, almost 90% of fast food workers claim for wage theft. It is distressing to know that though there are many laws out there to protect workers, employees are still being abused.

Corporations abusing workers in order to maximize profits is an important issue that cannot be taken lightly. Employees are essential to every organization and they deserved to be treated fairly. It is imperative that all workers know and understand California labor law compliance so that these issues may be avoided in the future. If you are a worker or company that wants to be more educated on the labor laws or wants to purchase a California Labor Law Compliance Poster, learn more at USA Labor Law Posters: http://www.usalaborlawposters.com/