AI Legal Issues for Hawaii Employers: The Chatbot Is Not Your Confidant
Considering the multitude of expenses business owners face, it’s not hard to understand the incentive to use free or inexpensive AI to cut legal spend. Why pay attorney rates when AI can get you 75% of the way to a good-enough-for-now answer – especially for a “quick” question, policy, contract, or business plan? But when does good-enough-for-now become problematic later? Remember: Wherever you […]
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OSHA Hazard Communication Deadline for Compliance Is Nov. 20
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces to have standardized labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers, and to train workers to handle the chemicals appropriately. In the May 20, 2024 revision of the HCS, employers were given a deadline of […]
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AI Legal Issues for Hawaii Employers: AI HR Management Tools and Potential for Bias
AI Legal Issues for Hawaii Employers: AI HR Management Tools and Potential for Bias Artificial intelligence (AI) tools in HR management are more and more frequently used to automate such processes as: Employers using agentic tools should closely monitor their systems for indications of bias; note that Hawaii recognizes a wide variety of protected classes. While […]
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OSHA FactSheet Offers Workplace Guidance on Opioid Emergencies
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) recently released a fact sheet on “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications” to help employers respond to opioid emergencies in the workplace. Preparedness strategies suggest employers should: The USDOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance emphasizes that while these medications are critical, they do not replace emergency services; […]
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ELA Webinar: Beyond the Ballot – What Washington’s Next Chapter Means for Business, Nov. 10
In the increasingly intense countdown to the 2026 midterms, it’s hard to imagine ever getting beyond election day. But by Nov. 10, we’ll be on the other side, and the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) will present a post-election discussion on what to expect as the new Congress takes shape. ES&A President Anna Elento-Sneed will be on the […]
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AI Legal Issues for Hawaii Employers: Three Things Employers Can Do
Whether your goal is increased productivity, streamlined workflows, or innovation to move your business forward, if you are figuring out how to take advantage of AI in your workplace, ES&A Director Sam Sneed recommends: For more on this subject, you can also watch the Hawaii episode of the ELA’s APAC Vlog Series here.
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ELA Publication: Mind at Work – Mental Health in the Asia Pacific Workplace
The Asia-Pacific section of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) has collaborated on an online publication designed to provide insights into mental health in the workplace in Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, including Australia, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. See the Mind at Work mini-site for an overview of […]
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USDOL 2026 Guam Highway, Heavy, Residential and Building Survey Briefing, Oct. 19, 21
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Wage & Hour Division (WHD) will host online informational sessions on the 2026 Davis-Bacon prevailing wage survey in Guam. Contractors doing business in Guam may be interested in attending the survey briefing on either Oct. 19, 1-3pm HST, or Oct. 21, 1-3pm HST. The briefing will provide information regarding […]
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State-Mandated Private Sector Retirement Program to Launch December 2026
The State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) is developing the Hawaii Retirement Savings Program (HRSP), also known as HISavers, for private sector employees in Hawaii who do not have access to a retirement savings plan through their employer, as directed by Act 113, signed into law May 29, 2025. Under the HRSP, employers […]
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AI Legal Issues for Hawaii Employers: Bringing LLMs to Life
Early artificial intelligence (AI) adopter industries included, not surprisingly, finance, manufacturing, defense, soon followed by tech/information, retail, healthcare. The advancement of LLMs, or Large Language Models that train on massive amounts of text to understand and generate human-like language, encouraged adoption in new fields, such as professional services, legal and compliance, and customer support, which […]
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