State Laws

Davis, CA – A law intended to minimize nurse-to-patient ratios in California has improved safety among the state’s nurses, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

Philadelphia – A task force convened by the mayor of Philadelphia has issued a report calling for mandatory paid sick leave for workers.

Boston – Voters in Massachusetts have approved a measure that will provide paid sick leave for many more workers in the state.

Phoenix – As it faces losing its State Plan status, the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health is standing by its assertion that the state’s fall protection standard is “as effective as” federal OSHA’s requirement.

Albany, NY – Legislation recently passed in New York state is intended to protect firefighters and other first responders from collapses of residential structures that feature wood truss construction.

Sacramento, CA – Newly signed California legislation seeks to protect subcontracted workers by holding employers who use labor contractors accountable for workplace safety.

Sacramento, CA – Occupational injuries among nurses in California decreased by one-third after a 2004 state law implemented nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in acute care hospitals, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis.

Miami – A Florida judge’s recent ruling that called the state’s workers’ compensation law “unlawful, invalid and unconstitutional” is being appealed by the state government’s top lawyer.

Sacramento, CA – Millions of California workers may soon receive paid sick days, following the state legislature’s Aug. 30 passage of a bill (A.B. 1522) requiring employers to provide sick leave.

Sacramento, CA – New regulations in California will require certain hospitals to implement a safe patient-handling policy that uses devices and lifting teams to move patients, potentially improving the safety of patients, nurses and other staff.