SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE GUIDE

Regulations

U.S. AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Relevant to Small Business

Small Business Affordable Care Act Information (8/22/2013)
Information available by HealthCare.gov is from the Department of Health and Human Services. This page has a video SHOP Marketplace (compare prices; compare benefits; compare premiums) with a runtime of 1:43. A tool before you SHOP the Marketplace getting you ready when you click on See your Options to get your options. This tool asks a few quick questions to provide you a list of coverage options small businesses may qualify for. These answers are intended to help make good business decisions and personalized checklist to help get ready to apply.

Source:https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/

Affordable Care Act – What do small businesses need to know?
This link answers questions about the Affordable Care Act implementation of rules and regulations for small businesses. It covers health coverage rights, qualifications for tax credits, business size and future small business employer responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act.

Source:https://www.healthcare.gov/what-do-small-businesses-need-to-know/

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit for Small Employers
This link provides information from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on what small businesses need to know about the Small Business health Care Tax Credit. Questions are answered regarding how the credit makes a difference for small business, how to claim the credit, systematic guide and how to claim the credit. There are other resources such as a YouTube video (1:51 runtime), news releases, and the form for exempt organization business income tax return. Also available in Spanish.

Source:http://www.irs.gov/uac/Small-Business-Health-Care-Tax-Credit-for-Small-Employers

Taxpayer Advocate Service
This service explains the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, and the eligibility criteria. The IRS Small Business Health Care Credit Estimator helps small businesses find eligibility answers, and if eligible, the tax credit dollar amount they may receive. Additional links to other resources, such as IRS electronic forms, FAQs regarding the credit, and others are available on this web page. You may use the Tax Credit Estimator Calculator tool which is exclusively an estimator for what your tax credit(s) may be. Click on the calendar year at the bottom to obtain your tax credit estimate beginning with 2010.

Source:http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/calculator/SBHCTC.htm

Environmental Regulations by Industry

Compliance Assistance Publications  
Industry sector specific materials that explain environmental regulations.

• Sector Notebooks
  • One for each of 33 industries; each covers environmental regulations that apply to that industry.
• Compliance assistance and inspection publications
  • Guides, manuals, fact sheets, and brochures pertaining to individual sectors or a specific regulations.

Provided by the U.S. EPA.

Source: Holizki T, Nelson L, McDonald R. Injury Rate as an Indicator of Business Success. Industrial Health 2006:166-168.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

OSHA Website  
OSHA.gov organizes information mostly by industry (such as "construction") or hazard (like "asbestos" or "machine guarding").

Compliance Assistance Quick Start
Offers lists of booklets, brochures, checklists, and other compliance assistance materials tailored to helping small businesses protect workers and comply with regulations. Three Quick Start paths are offered:

• General Industry
• Health Care
• Construction

Each path takes the small business user through specific steps to getting information about OSHA workplace rules that may apply to that business. Many resources are downloadable. Materials for employers of Hispanic workers can also be accessed through this site.

Index of Regulations
An index to all OSHA regulations. Many of the most commonly accessed rules are in the "General Industry Standards," Part 1910.

Overview of Employer Responsibilities
Introduces the general areas of responsibility that employers have for workplace safety and health. They include:

Required Posters
Information about required, labor-related posters, including one about job safety and health protection. A chart is provided that includes information about the name of the posters, who must post each one, penalties for not posting, and other information. Poster titles include:

• Job Safety and Health Protection
• Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Your Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act

In some cases downloadable and/or language alternative versions of the required posters are offered.

Provided by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), a part of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Fast fact: More than half of the U.S. labor force works in establishments with fewer than 100 employees.

Source: County Business Patterns
In. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce; 2008.

Overview of OSHA Requirements

OSHA Help for New Businesses  
Basic information about OSHA requirements and links to OSHA publications, posters, and regulations. Includes links to the following information:

Provided by Environmental Safety and Health in the Community (a group of volunteer scientists and engineers).

Four-point Safety Plan  
An overview of the basic elements of a safety and health program. The OSHA four-point safety program is presented. In addition, this site provides links to more than 40 safety checklists that provide a way to assess a business on different aspects of workplace safety and health.

Provided by Small Business Notes.

Indiana Regulations (applicable to other states)

Indiana Small Business Guide to Environmental, Safety, and Health Regulations
Designed to help small businesses in Indiana understand and comply with regulations that apply to them. It covers both environmental (11 chapters) and occupational safety and health regulations (26 chapters). Each chapter covers a different regulated area. Many of the safety and health regulations apply in other states too.

Provided by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Image courtesy of IDEM.