Seyfarth Synopsis: President Biden recently laid out his administration’s next steps in efforts to get more Americans vaccinated.
On July 29, 2021, the White House released “Remarks by President Biden Laying Out the Next...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 27, 2021, the CDC revised its mask guidance in response to the burgeoning threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant, recommending that all individuals — including those who are vaccinated — wear masks...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 28, 2021, OSHA published a Compliance Directive, DIR 2021-02 (CPL 02), covering inspection procedures and enforcement policies for the Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19. The new directive...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 21, 2021, the federal register published OSHA’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (“ETS”), focused on the health care industry....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: This week, the State of Oregon issued a final COVID-19 worker protection standard, replacing its temporary rule adopted six months ago. The final rule, effective on May 4th with certain provisions phasing...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 27, 2021, CDC announced updated recommendations for fully vaccinated people in non-healthcare settings (note that on the same day the CDC also posted Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 12, 2021, OSHA published its COVID-19 National Emphasis Program – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), DIR 2021-01(CPL-03) (3-12-21). The Directive lays-out OSHA’s policies and procedures...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In two recent guidance documents, OSHA recommends that employers encourage workers to wear cloth face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. OSHA further addresses the challenges posed by cloth face...more
9/21/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA Administrator Loren Sweatt recently blogged related to heat illness in the workplace as “forecasters are calling for above-average heat in some parts of the country and scorching temperatures in July...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a series of frequently asked questions and answers regarding the use of masks in the workplace to assist the regulated community....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted a Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19. Under the OSHA regulations and the revised guidance, most cases of...more
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: 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 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
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
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: 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: OSHA has just released the Agency’s enforcement and compliance inspection numbers, which show a “significant increase” over 2018....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Health care providers are increasingly called upon to address drug resistant medical cases such as Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging multidrug-resistant fungus that presents a serious health threat to...more
4/23/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Clinical Laboratories ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Risk Management ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The DOL Inspector General recently issued an audit report that “OSHA Procedures for Issuing Guidance Were Not Adequate and Mostly Not Followed,” Report No. 02-19-001-10-105 (March 28, 2019)....more
Employers should be aware that OSHA and some state environmental agencies are now using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or “drones” in select inspections and investigations. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: This week at the 2018 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress the speakers on this Executive Forum noted that “automation, wearables, augmented reality, virtual reality, drones, big data, machine learning,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employment in healthcare occupations continues to outgrow all other industries, as the American population continues to age and nursing home and hospital services expand. ...more