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BUSINESS

initiated by a current or former employee due to incorrect com-
pensation or back pay you may owe them.

2. The Importance of Occupational Safety and Health Adminis-
tration (OSHA)
As a business owner, it is important to ensure you provide a safe
work environment for your employees. As a medical professional
you spend your day helping those with injuries and illnesses, but
you also have a similar responsibility to do the same for your
employees. OSHA is the primary federal agency which governs
occupational health and safety in the workplace. The OSHA law
and regulations ensure employers provide employees with a safe
and healthy work environment free from hazards, such as expo-
sure to chemicals, mechanical dangers, or unsanitary conditions.
Many of these hazards are common in a medical practice envi-
ronment. For example, employees may be operating machinery
for X-rays, MRI’s, handling potentially toxic medications, and
coming into contact with bodily fluids and/or patients with con-
tagious diseases. It is your responsibility to ensure your employ-
ees have the resources and training to know how to safely handle
themselves in these situations.

Fortunately, OSHA provides various resources to help you. A fine what “reasonable accommodations” look like for your prac-
few best practices you can adopt could be ensuring your em- tice in compliance with the ADA.
ployees receive safety training for medical equipment and patient
care, determining the types of protective equipment needed, and While running your own medical practice requires a long list of
training them on the proper way to report and investigate all duties, following key employment laws must be a priority to protect
safety-related incidents and/or accidents. your practice, patients, and employees. Rest assured, there are plenty
of resources available to help guide you to run a successful medical
3. Accommodating your employees according to the Americans practice.
with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Taking care of your patients is always a priority and many come To learn more about these key employment laws or others, con-
with a variety of special circumstances when they walk through tact me at 830-980-1200 or npaul@swbc.com.
your door — but so do your employees. In 2015, 17.5 percent
of persons with a disability were employed, according to the U.S. Norman Paul, Jr., J.D., is CEO of SWBC PEO
Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you are a business with 15 or more Services. He is responsible for overseeing the division’s
employees you are required to comply with the ADA, which re- day-to-day tasks, including payroll, employee benefits
quires you to provide reasonable accommodations to any em- administration, workers’ compensation, and HR sup-
ployee or job applicant with a disability, unless doing so would port for more than 8,000 shared employees in Texas
cause the employer significant difficulty or expense. Also, as a and 18 additional states. Norman also serves as Cor-
business offering services to the general public, you must comply porate Counsel for SWBC PEO, providing guidance on compliance
with ADA standards to meet the needs of disabled individuals issues, overseeing unemployment claims administration, and client
visiting your practice. training.

As the business owner, you and your supervisors play a key role
in identifying and implementing reasonable accommodations
for employees that have a need. You can work with your HR
team to identify the essential functions of the job, as well as de-

visit us at www.bcms.org 33