Monthly Compliance Calendar Alert – Keep Your Company Compliant in February: ACA Reporting, Employee Eligibility, and Safety

Employee Management, Employment Law & HR Topics, Federal Updates, State & Federal Employment Law Updates / By
If you’re in HR, you’re no stranger to compliance management, forms, and deadlines—though keeping them all in order may be a different story. We want to be sure you’re equipped with the right information to keep everything on track year after year, from ACA to FLSA. That’s why we put together the HR compliance calendar every year, to bring you an important list of dates and deadlines you need to know to help keep compliance on track for your workplace. In this compliance calendar, you will find the key topics to keep your Company up-to-date and ready to take on the year like a pro including employee awareness and required or recommended training. You may access answers to these questions, guidelines and examples in our comprehensive Forms Library, which is available complimentary to our clients 24/7, with the exception of Guardian HR Hotline Clients. Please log into your client portal at www.guardian-hr.com and click “Forms Library” from the left side bar menu. Guardian Hotline clients may feel free to reach out through our hotline service for assistance with these policies and topics. Note: This calendar is designed to help our clients review the key human resources-related reporting and notice requirements that may apply to their organizations. Please note that this list is for general reference purposes only and is not all-inclusive. Many of the compliance requirements are complex ERISA or other statutory legal filings and responsibilities may vary depending on your company’s plans. We encourage you to consult with your insurance brokers, plan administrators and/or your ERISA and tax advisors for further guidance. Certain documents or forms provided by the IRS, or other sources were issued as drafts, or for the effective date at the time of publication. For the most current information, please check with a tax professional, benefit professional and/or the correlating websites. (i.e. irs.gov/LatestForms, etc.)” KEY: * While Guardian HR is your specialist for HR and employment law related matters, tax-specific topics/requirements should always be verified and discussed with a tax professional and benefit-specific topics/requirements should always be verified and discussed with a benefits professional.

Holidays

  • President’s Day (George Washington’s Birthday) February 17

Important Dates and Deadlines for this Month

February 1
  • OSHA 300 Log (Forms 300 and 300A) must be posted in all non-exempt workplaces (in a conspicuous place i.e. lunchroom and must protect employee’s confidential information) from February 1-April 30.
February 10
  • Employees are required to report to you tips of $20 or more earned during Jan.
  • Deadline to file certain tax documents, please reach out to a Tax Specialist for further information.*
February 14
  • Request a new Form W-4 from any employee who claimed exemption from income tax withholding last year. *
February 15
  • Final day to pay employee bonuses that qualify toward last year’s business taxes.*
February 28 Deadline to file certain tax documents, please reach out to a Tax Specialist for further information.*

Topics to Discuss and/or Review

  1. Review/Audit I-9 compliance. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).”
  • Determine if there is any need for recertification.
  • Is I-9 expired?
  • Is there any missing information?
  • Where are I-9 Forms stored and how are they retained.
  1. Help employees make corrections on I-9 and store separately from personnel files.
  2. Review OSHA Injury and Illness recordkeeping and reporting requirements for serious work-related injuries and illnesses. (Employers with 10+ EEs, (Certain low-risk industries are exempted.) Minor injuries requiring first aid only do not need to be recorded.) For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  3. Set-up or review OSHA Recommended Safety and Health Programs (Some states have their own plan). For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  4. Review or Revise General Safety Manual or State Plan Manual, communicate and distribute to employees. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  5. Establish a Safety Team that will be responsible for Safety Compliance for the year (i.e. implementation of the safety program, make plans, coordinate activities, and track progress) and select a representative (along with an alternate) that will interact with government agency representatives in the event of an OSHA Investigation. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  6. Work with the Safety Team to implement a Safety meeting schedule to keep track of compliance, to address any issues raised, and encourage employee Safety and Health awareness throughout the year. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  • Designate a subject for each safety meeting like going over the Company’s emergency procedure, heat and illness prevention, any safety regulations specific to the Company’s industry, or discuss workplace violence prevention, safety protection tips etc. to ensure compliance and retention of policies.
  1. Train employees on OSHA Rules, Safety Standards as set out in the Company’s safety plan, procedures for reporting and investigating potential hazards injuries or illnesses, communicable diseases and how to handle them in the workplace, emergency procedures and/or closures, workplace violence prevention, reporting and investigation procedures, Smoking Policy, Visitor Policy, Bomb Threat Policy, fire safety and drills, and Active Shooter Emergency Response Policy. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  2. Evaluate the workplace for potential hazards or any necessary security measures required. For clients with access to the Forms Library, references to this section can be found in the folder “Safety.”
  • Are there security measures in place? (Access badges, Employee I.D.s, electronic surveillance in work areas, traffic control, security team).
  • Are employee’s workplace or is the facility sufficiently lit, are facilities easily accessible for disabled individuals, are employees working in ergonomic positions?
Are minors prohibited from working in hazardous positions? (Check state law).