On August 26, 2021, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board adopted revised amendments to the Final Permanent Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19 (the Final Permanent...more
On September 9, 2021, President Biden released his COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic (the “Plan”). The Plan mandates vaccination against COVID-19 for employees working for employers that have 100 or more...more
9/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden released a sweeping new COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic. This Plan includes mandates that employees working for large private employers, the federal government,...more
9/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On June 10, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its long-awaited COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), establishing new mandatory requirements generally...more
6/11/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
In a dramatic shift in its enforcement position with respect to the recordability of adverse reactions from COVID-19 vaccines, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on May 21, 2021, published a new...more
On April 26, 2021, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent emergency workplace safety rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the Office of Management and Budget for review....more
On April 9, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its “Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators.” The update includes changes to respirator-provision strategies at Conventional...more
Executive Summary -
The COVID-19 pandemic required nearly every employer around the globe to take stock of its workforce, policies and practices, and adapt to a rapidly changing and unpredictable environment. COVID-19...more
In response to President Biden’s January 2021 executive order, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on March 12, 2021, targeting...more
3/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NEP ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On January 29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released guidance for employers: Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the...more
2/10/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Risk Management ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 27, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that he had approved a Final Permanent Standard (Permanent Standard) for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace, making Virginia the first state in the nation to...more
2/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On November 19, 2020, over the vigorous objections of several employers, trade associations, employer agencies, and defense counsel, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously to pass the...more
On September 30, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding an employer’s obligation to report to OSHA cases of work-related COVID-19. The FAQs...more
10/6/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Recording Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Introduction -
Prior Workplace Policy Institute (WPI) Labor Day Reports focused on key employment developments and trends to provide employers with insight on the state of work and what to expect in the coming year....more
9/8/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Job Creation ,
Labor Regulations ,
On-Demand Services ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Remote Working ,
Telecommuting ,
Unemployment ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase within the United States, many employers are now asking whether they must record cases of COVID-19 on their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 Logs...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe remains a significant concern in the workplace. Employers are confronting difficult questions regarding how to handle leave and accommodation, immigration,...more
3/6/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
Dear Littler: I just learned that one of our employees has the measles. He works on a floor with 20 coworkers in an open office seating arrangement. Can I tell the other employees why he’s out so they can get tested or...more
4/9/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Vaccinations