The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency temporary safety standard (ETS) for healthcare employers took effect July 6. Affected employers have 30 days to come into compliance with the new rule....more
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard for the health care industry takes effect July 6. However, states that enforce their own OSHA programs have different...more
In addition to its new COVID-19 emergency temporary standard for health care employers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a companion revision to its general guidance on mitigating and preventing the...more
Yesterday, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring COVID-19 exposure control practices for the healthcare industry. OSHA originally considered a broader...more
Earlier this week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an update to its COVID-19 frequently asked questions to clarify that, at least for now, employers will not be required to record adverse...more
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration appears to be losing interest in issuing temporary emergency regulations related to COVID-19 safety practices. Changing science and diminishing infection rates due to...more
As more Americans receive COVID-19 vaccinations, a number of our clients have asked whether employees who provide proof of such vaccination can be excused from workplace COVID-19 control measures such as mask wearing....more
On March 12, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a COVID-19 National Emphasis Program focusing enforcement efforts on employers with high frequencies of close employee contact with other...more
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General issued a report criticizing the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report was prompted by...more
With all the recent discussion over the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration planning to issue a temporary COVID-19 safety standard, employers may not recall that the agency has had a more general infectious...more
In a recent interview, the former head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration indicated his belief that many employers are not taking adequate measures to address the real risks for COVID-19 in the...more
Under an executive order issued in the first days of the Biden administration, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been tasked with deciding whether a nationwide workplace COVID-19 infection...more
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s hazard communication regulations require employers to take measures to minimize employee exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. Among other obligations, the...more
Some employers are considering mandating COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment. While such policies are generally legal (with some religious and disability accommodations included), they could result in claims...more
In its first indication of upcoming policy changes under the new administration, last week the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued updates to its COVID-19 infection prevention guidance. Among other...more
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order instructing the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue revised workplace safety guidance intended to increase protections for...more
On December 16, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced changes to its special emphasis inspection program that directs enforcement resources towards employers with the highest rates of workplace...more
A number of employers have encountered resistance to mask wearing mandates put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, employees assert that they have a medical condition that prevents them from being...more
During the first U.S. surge in COVID-19 infections, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term residential care facilities experienced an especially high degree of workplace transmission of the virus and...more
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s multiemployer worksite doctrine, a company can be cited for safety violations that it did not create and for hazards to which its own employees were never exposed. The...more
10/30/2020
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Citations ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Contractors ,
Multi-Employer Worksites ,
OSHA ,
Safety Violations ,
Subcontractors ,
Workplace Hazards
During the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Labor began regularly issuing press releases when an employer received a major Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation or overtime assessment. The press...more
Last Friday, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration released statistics on citations issued to employers for COVID-19 safety violations. OSHA has not issued a COVID-19 safety standard, and the citations...more
If found responsible for a serious violation of workplace safety standards, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration can assess up to $13,494 per item cited. However, when the citation involves a repeat or...more
In recent weeks, we have seen a marked increase in employers receiving notice of complaints to state and federal occupational safety and health agencies from workers regarding COVID-19 infection control procedures. Many of...more
As previously reported in EmployNews, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has to date declined to adopt mandatory regulations governing COVID-19 prevention efforts by employers. Last week, Virginia...more