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Be Prepared for OSHA’s Omnipresence

The advertisement on the front page of OSHA.gov says a lot: “OSHA is Hiring! Apply Now.” Workplace safety enforcement has added significant manpower and has been much more active than in previous years. Inspections have increased in number, as well as in breadth and depth, which is why it’s a great time to give your company a safety tune-up.

There have been plenty of distractions in 2021, which may have led to a reduction in attention to detail with required compliance programs. Pair that with the new administration's aggressive OSHA stance, and your company should have a renewed desire to review their OSHA Compliance. This should include all of your written programs, as well as sub-elements under those programs.

When is the last time you have updated your health and safety written programs?
When is the last time you checked to ensure all of your training is up to date and documented?
When is the last time you completed a safety walk-through of your facility, with corrective action taken for any identified discrepancies?
What are your compliance weaknesses (or maybe you’re not even sure)?
What are the underlying safety deficiencies contributing to your workplace injuries, leaving you vulnerable to OSHA penalties, and what are you doing to correct those issues?

These are the types of questions that our Spooner Safety team can help you answer, and get you on the right track to improve your compliance and reduce your injuries and regulatory exposure. Our safety proifessionals are available to conduct these program reviews for you, including facility compliance via “Mock OSHA” inspections, and providing a full suite of training and consulting services to help you comply with OSHA General Industry and Construction Regulations.

Maybe you’re on top of your safety tune-ups, but are still anticipating (or just had) a visit from OSHA. That could be because you’ve had to make a serious injury report, or you suspect an employee may have filed a complaint. Spooner’s Safety experts have plenty of experience in managing inspection cases. We can guide you through every step in the process - from the on-site inspection and coordinating with OSHA, to orchestrating abatement efforts and negotiating a settlement at the informal conference. Let us take the lead – we’ll satisfy OSHA, maximize your chances of a penalty reduction, and improve your workplace safety along the way. Contact Jon Carpenter at 440.249.5284 | Ext: 110 for more information on our safety services.

Posted By Brandy King in Osha, Safety, Osha Inspections, Workplace Safety, Abatement, Informal Conference, OSHA Settlement Negotiations,

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Rehashing the Complexities of Marijuana in the Workplace

Posted By Brandy King
February 02, 2026 Category: Medical Marijuana, Drugs In The Workplace, Marijuana Rescheduled, Marijuana Breathalyzer, Cannabix, Thc Breath Test

Toward the end of 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to expedite the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This is monumental in that it acknowledges that marijuana does, in fact, have valid clinical/medical uses and has low-to-moderate potential for abuse. Only four states in the U.S. still regard cannabis as being fully illegal, while another six allow only the cannabinoid CBD, which is known not to produce psychoactive effects. All other states have some version of legal or decriminalized marijuana, be it medical, recreational, or a combination of both. The first thing that’s important to note and is widely misunderstood is that this rescheduling does not legalize marijuana federally. As of January 28, 2026, Marijuana is still a Schedule I drug, since the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has not yet finalized this rule. Once they do cement this change, there could be some wide-sweeping changes to drug testing. The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) currently only allows testing for Scheduled I and II substances for federal and regulated drug-testing programs followed by DOT-regulated employees and other safety-sensitive positions. Truck drivers, pilots, transit operators, railroad employees, and pipeline workers are all currently subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing, including marijuana. There has been talk of a

Unemployment Services with Spooner

Posted By Brandy King
February 02, 2026 Category: Ohio, Unemployment, Hr Outsourcing, Unemployment Claims, Fraud

If you haven’t considered trusting Spooner’s family of companies with managing your unemployment claims, maybe you’re not sure what it entails and how much time and hassle it could save. You may have also tried outsourcing this to another vendor in the past and found that their approach really didn’t save you much of anything. The team at Spooner Risk Control (which encompasses both Spooner Inc and SuretyHR) boasts over 15 years of experience managing unemployment claims, including an attorney that will represent your company at hearing. Many clients that are new to using our unemployment services have shared that past vendors still required them to log into their portal, submit all the responses and paperwork, then the vendor would send to the state. Our approach is to simply ask for the documentation, submit, and take care of everything. As an unemployment services client, you’d be asked to sign a third-party representation form that will allow any unemployment-related forms and letters to come directly to us so you’re not always the go-between. Here’s a run-down of the services you can expect as an Unemployment Services client: Monitor and report all new unemployment claims and notifications Submission of claims and responses after requesting information from the employer and submission of any rebuttals File and submit appeals on any base period unemployment notifications or allowed claims File appeals to the

New E-Verify Requirement for Non-Residential Construction (HB 246)

Posted By Brandy King
February 02, 2026 Category: I 9, Immigration, E Verify, Construction, Ohio Hb 246

If you weren’t paying close attention, you may have missed the passage of Ohio’s House Bill 246, or the E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act. This will require all Ohio nonresidential contractors, subcontractors, and labor brokers to confirm employees’ work eligibility through the federal E-Verify program. Nonresidential construction is defined in HB 246 as: “…The construction or renovation of any building, highway, bridge, utility, or related infrastructure, but does not include any of the following: (1) An industrialized unit, manufactured home, or a residential building as defined in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code; (2) A building or structure that is incidental to the use of the land on which the building or structure is located for agricultural purposes as defined in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code; (3) A mobile home as defined in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code.” Included employers are expected to be fully compliant with the E-Verify requirement by March 19, 2026. There are currently no exceptions being made for small businesses or sole proprietors, and E-Verify is a free service. Employers will enroll at www.e-verify.gov and create a new case for each new hire by entering info provided on their I-9 and should receive initial results in seconds. Once a final eligibility result is obtained, employers may close that employee’s case. The Act requires employers to maintain this verification record for three

Blog

Be Prepared for OSHA’s Omnipresence

Rehashing the Complexities of Marijuana in the Workplace

Unemployment Services with Spooner

New E-Verify Requirement for Non-Residential Construction (HB 246)

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