The California Supreme Court handed employers a win last week by making it clear that they do not have a duty to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to employees' household members. The court didn’t go so far as to say such claims...more
Employers may be able to revise their COVID-19 protocols now that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated the definition of “close contact” for isolation and quarantine purposes. Over the summer, the...more
California public health officials recently revised the definitions of “close contact” and “infectious period” that appear in the state’s pandemic-related rules – and the new broader standards might catch some employers by...more
In the surest sign that COVID-19 restrictions are moving to the rearview mirror once and for all, California has just relaxed its face covering requirements, regardless of vaccination status in most settings – and for most...more
3/2/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Biden Administration’s recent “Path Out of the Pandemic” expands the COVID-19 vaccine mandate covering nursing home workers and will soon reach 17 million healthcare workers at Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities....more
9/15/2021
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Home Health Care ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Nursing Homes ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Following recent updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommending that all individuals wear face coverings indoors regardless of vaccination status, Cal/OSHA just released a statement...more
The news this morning that the federal government fully approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could be a pivotal milestone in the fight against the coronavirus – especially when it comes to employers’ role in the battle. After...more
After announcing last week that healthcare workers (and state employees) will soon be required to either provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly or bi-weekly COVID-19 testing, California issued an additional order...more
8/9/2021
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Clinics ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospice ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Physicians ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Given the recent uptick in positive cases in the local area, Los Angeles County is reinstating its mask mandate regardless of vaccination status effective Saturday, July 17 at 11:59 p.m. This latest development will impact...more
The Santa Clara County Health Officer just issued a new order phasing out the May 18 Order that had introduced a vaccine-tracking mandate for employers, relieving employers of the administrative burden imposed by the...more
Businesses in Santa Clara County must get ready to comply with the County’s new vaccine tracking mandate by no later than June 1. The County of Santa Clara Emergency Operations Center issued a May 18 Order of The Health...more
5/25/2021
/ Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Deadlines ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In an unexpected turn of events, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board announced yesterday that it will not move to adopt the proposed revisions to the existing Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary...more
COVID-19 vaccinations passed the 200-million mark in the United States last week, which means certain workforces might have the majority of employees fully vaccinated. In recent months, we’ve discussed guidance from the EEOC...more
Now that the country is on course to see all adult Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in a matter of days, and an increasing number of employees are returning to the workplace, vaccination status is likely to be an...more
After patiently waiting for COVID-19 vaccine guidance in California, employers now have some clarification from California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). As somewhat expected, the DFEH’s guidance issued...more
California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) further updated its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Frequently Asked Questions late last week in an attempt to provide more clarification and answer questions the...more
1/12/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Governor Gavin Newsom just issued an Executive Order that potentially reduces the quarantine exclusion period for COVID-19 exposed employees in California under a recently approved Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by...more
12/16/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Workplace Safety
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board just adopted an emergency standard related to COVID-19 prevention in the workplace, imposing some significant requirements on California employers. Most notably, the new rule finalized yesterday...more
11/20/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
California employers have been faced with an endless uptick of claims filed under the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 – also known as PAGA – alleging violations of any of the hundreds of enumerated provisions of the...more
9/30/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Code ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
There is no doubt the summer of 2020 has been memorable, but likely not for overseas jaunts or exotic vacations. Although the CDC recently relaxed its COVID-19 guidance regarding quarantine after travel, it still recognizes:...more
9/3/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Paid Leave ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Travelers ,
Traveling Employee ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just released a 32-page COVID-19 Employer Playbook providing additional guidance for California employers related to COVID-19 and safe re-opening. Though the July 24 Playbook provides a...more
7/28/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Paid Leave ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Though many experts thought the summer months would bring reprieve, COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in the United States and, as a result, more employers are dealing with employees testing positive for the coronavirus....more
7/8/2020
/ Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Notification Requirements ,
OSHA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Quarantine ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
Workplace Safety