On November 18, 2021 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation banning private employers, regardless of size, from mandating COVID-19 vaccinations unless several exemptions are offered to employees. Effective...more
In a very strongly worded 22-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reaffirmed its earlier stay of OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) calling for employee vaccination or weekly testing...more
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) maintains an occupational safety and health plan that is approved and monitored by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (federal OSHA)....more
On July 6, 2021, the Department of Labor for the state of New York published its model Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan (the Model Plan) under the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO), which was...more
On July 6, 2021, NYS DOL published its Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan under the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (“HERO”), signed into law on May 5, 2021, Governor Cuomo. In addition to the...more
On May 5, 2021, Governor Cuomo of New York signed the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act) into law. The HERO Act creates occupational safety and health standards in the private sector for all airborne...more
5/14/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Reasonable Prevention Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On May 5, 2021, Governor Cuomo of New York signed the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (the “Act”) into law which amends the New York Labor Law. The Act creates occupational safety and health standards in the private...more
5/10/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Risk Management ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
It is probably safe to say that as more businesses continue to reopen without restrictions and there is increased availability to vaccine supplies, many employers are considering whether they want to implement a mandatory...more
Both federal and state OSHA regulators have been regularly citing employers for failure to comply with their respective respiratory protection standards in connection with COVID-19 inspections and these citations have not...more
In today's episode, Mike Schmidt is joined by his colleague and the Chair of Cozen O'Connor's OSHA Practice Group, John Ho, to talk about the new guidance (finally?) issued by OSHA on the Covid-19 pandemic. What did the...more
On January 29, 2021, OSHA issued revised COVID-19 updated guidance for employers following an executive order issued by President Biden directing the agency to do so. The guidance contains many suggestions that employers are...more
2/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
On April 10, 2020, OSHA issued additional guidance for employers on their obligations to record COVID-19 cases.
Prior to this guidance, OSHA made clear that COVID-19 cases may be recordable if a worker is infected as a...more
As the evolving coronavirus virus (COVID-19) first discovered in China continues to grow in both China and other countries including the United States, businesses here need to consider a number of factors in preparing a...more
As the evolving coronavirus virus (COVID-19) first discovered in China continues to grow in both China and other countries including the United States, businesses here need to consider a number of factors in preparing a...more
2/27/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Leave of Absence ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety