With the enforcement of the Federal OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) on hold pending consolidated review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit after multiple legal challenges and a temporary...more
Frustrated with a lagging rate of vaccinations, the Biden Administration decided to get out the stick since the carrot has not improved the vaccination rates to the levels that it wants to see. The Department of Labor,...more
9/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On Monday, August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) formally approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older. With this new and much-anticipated approval from the FDA,...more
More than a month after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that many fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear a face covering or physically distance, California finally updated its workplace safety...more
On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made an unexpected change in its guidance for fully vaccinated people as to the use of face coverings and physical distancing. The announcement that...more
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issues and proposed actions took center stage in the first week of the Biden Administration. The President called for greater enforcement by OSHA of more stringent worker...more
On Thursday, November 19, 2020, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board unanimously passed an emergency Cal-OSHA regulation. The final draft was sent to the Office of Administrative Law (“OAL”) on...more
Many employers have opened for business and now hope for much-needed smooth sailing. As they chart their course for open and calm waters, however, employers would be well-served to keep their spyglasses focused on the...more
7/15/2020
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Furloughs ,
Layoffs ,
OSHA ,
OWBPA ,
Release Agreements ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) recently published updated and expanded technical assistance addressing questions arising under federal equal employment opportunity laws related to the COVID-19...more
As the COVID-19 epidemic worsens, social distancing has given way to more restrictive stay-at-home (otherwise called shelter-in-place) orders issued first on a local level, but often later extended statewide. Although each of...more
OSHA recently provided a reminder (through its website) to employers on recording of workplace exposures associated with COVID-19 (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html). The current pandemic does not alter the...more
On March 18, President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or the “Act”), taking a major step to provide paid leave to workers affected by COVID-19 and blunt the effects of the virus on...more
This week, the World Health Organization upgraded the global risk of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) to “very high” with over 83,000 cases being confirmed, including dozens in the United States. Employers are grappling with...more
3/3/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Paid Leave ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety