Developments in Tax and Business

Construction Accident and Fatality Rates Fall

America’s construction sites are much safer than they were a decade ago, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The organization announced the results of a new analysis that found a 38% drop in construction safety incidents and a 47% decline in the construction fatality rate since 1998. The AGC attributed the decline in accident and fatality rates to the federal government’s adoption of a safety oversight approach known as “collaborative safety.”

Combating Illegal Employment

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a new audit initiative on July 1, 2009, that attempts to identify employers that don’t comply with employment eligibility verification laws by auditing selected companies’ I-9 forms.

The High Cost of Employee Absenteeism

Just how costly are unauthorized employee absences? A survey from consulting firm Mercer, The Total Financial Impact of Employee Absences, found that the average total costs of incidental unplanned absences amount to 6% of payroll. The survey also found that incidental unplanned absences result in the highest net loss of productivity per day — a decline of 21% compared to 15% for planned absences and 17% for extended absences.