Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly developed and released guidance that is generally intended for everybody, whether a...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Last week, the President issued an Executive Order under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to protect the continued operation of the nation’s meat and poultry processors during the current COVID-19...more
5/5/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
OSHA ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Retail Market ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have jointly released coronavirus-related interim guidance for meatpacking and meat...more
5/4/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing safety tips (guidance) employers can follow to help protect construction workers from exposure to the coronavirus....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued Interim Guidance to advise compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) to evaluate an employer’s good faith efforts to comply with...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA has issued a COVID-19 guidance for package delivery employers. OSHA offers recommendations to help reduce employees’ risk of exposure to the coronavirus, including administrative controls, hygiene...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 13, 2020, OSHA released an Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) which is intended to provide instructions and guidance to Area Offices and compliance safety and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 10, 2020, OSHA released new interim guidance to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for enforcing the requirements of 29 CFR Part 1904 with respect to recording occupational illnesses,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA just released a new poster for employers that lists things that can be done to minimize workers’ risk of exposure to the coronavirus....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employees who complain about safety measures to protect employees from COVID-19 may be protected from retaliation by federal and state laws. Employees who refuse to perform job functions may also be...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA’s enforcement budget increase to drive increase in 2021 inspections. ...more
Important for healthcare workers involved in the care of patients with known or suspected COVID-19, the CDC late last week changed it’s personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance in light of N95 respirator shortages. In...more
3/17/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) ...
Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare...more
3/17/2020
/ Administrative Agencies ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
World Health Organization
Seyfarth Synopsis: The WHO has officially declared COVID-19 to be a global “pandemic,” triggering new considerations for employers....more
3/13/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA has issued a new alert and guidance document on COVID-19 suggesting ways for employers to minimize and manage risks to their workforces....more
3/12/2020
/ Airline Employees ,
Aviation Industry ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Waste Disposal ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its introduction to its New Active shooter training materials, the Illinois State Police note that “civilians that are present at any given incident are the true first responders.”...more
2/5/2020
/ Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
First Responders ,
Health and Safety ,
Hostile Environment ,
Law Enforcement ,
Mass Shootings ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Shootings ,
Training ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
Seyfarth Synopsis: First American case reported of deadly new Chinese coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has indicated that it is closely monitoring an outbreak caused by a new 2019 Novel...more
1/22/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Florida Roofing Experts Inc. – a Jacksonville, Florida, roofing contractor, for failing to protect workers from falls at two work...more
1/22/2020
/ Bodily Injury ,
Citations ,
Construction Project ,
Construction Workers ,
Contractors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fines ,
Labor Law Violations ,
OSHA ,
Penalties ,
Reputation Management ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP) ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The DOL has published its 2020 increases to OSHA civil penalties.
We have blogged previously about the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) annual adjustments to the maximum civil penalty dollar amounts for...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Establishments with 250 or more employees that are currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, and establishments with 20-249 employees that are classified in specific industries with...more
1/13/2020
/ Bodily Injury ,
Construction Workers ,
Deadlines ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Labor Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a standard interpretation cautioning employers on the use of headphones to listen to music on a construction site....more
1/6/2020
/ Administrative Interpretation ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Bodily Injury ,
Construction Project ,
Construction Site ,
Construction Workers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Excessive Noise ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Negligence ,
OSHA ,
Project Management ,
Safety Precautions ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Death
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its annual National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (National Census), concluding that the fatal work injury rate in 2018 remained at 3.5...more
1/2/2020
/ Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Labor Standards Enforcement ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Safety Standards ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Wrongful Death
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective January 1, 2020, Cal/OSHA is revising its injury reporting obligations to be more aligned with the injury reporting obligations under federal OSHA....more
12/13/2019
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: Recently the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill with bipartisan support that would require the Department of Labor to promulgate an OSHA standard specifically aimed at protecting healthcare and...more
12/12/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hostile Environment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mass Shootings ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Social Services ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA has just released the Agency’s enforcement and compliance inspection numbers, which show a “significant increase” over 2018....more