OSHA recently announced a significant change in its head protection policy, and is transitioning from traditional hard hats to safety helmets for its employees. This move is more than just an internal policy shift, and...more
OSHA has been particularly busy and aggressive lately, making good on Biden Administration promises and talking points—hiring more inspectors, appointing new administrators, conducting more inspections, aggressively issuing...more
9/14/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Distribution Centers ,
Employee Representatives ,
Inspections ,
OSHA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury
The Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, new legislation passed under House Bill 2862 further adds in the regulation of temporary labor, including substantial new safety obligations and training mandates employers...more
8/17/2023
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Equal Pay ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Illinois ,
New Legislation ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Temporary Employees ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
To strengthen enforcement and improve compliance with workplace safety standards and reduce worker injuries and illnesses, the U.S. Department of Labor is expanding the criteria for placement in the Occupational Safety and...more
A 2019 study conducted by the U.S. Department of labor found that food production workers in Illinois and Ohio had significantly higher injury rates than the overall rates for manufacturers in the private sector....more
In a 6-3 decision just released, the Supreme Court blocked OSHA’s Emergency COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Standard (“ETS”) from taking effect, which required employers with one hundred or more employees to conduct weekly...more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In September, the Biden Administration announced its plan to have OSHA issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with one hundred or more employees to ensure their employees are either fully vaccinated...more
In September, the Biden Administration had OSHA issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) requiring employers with one hundred or more employees to ensure their employees are either fully vaccinated or tested for COVID-19...more
In September, the Biden Administration announced its plan to have OSHA issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) requiring employers with one hundred or more employees to ensure their employees are either fully vaccinated...more
In a purported effort to increase vaccinations, the Biden Administration just announced its plan to have OSHA issue an Emergency Temporary Standard requiring employers with one hundred or more employees to ensure their...more
Following the Centers for Disease Control’s updated mask and COVID-19 guidance dated July 27, 2021, OSHA finally updated its own mask and COVID-19 guidance on August 13, 2021...more
On June 10th, OSHA issued its long-promised COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Surprisingly, the ETS relates only to the healthcare industry, but updated guidance has been issued for all industries, as outlined...more
6/11/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On May 13, the CDC issued updated guidance providing that those who are fully vaccinated can resume activities -- including going to work (in non-health care settings) -- without wearing a mask or social distancing. On May...more
In response to an executive order signed by President Biden in January, OSHA recently launched a new national emphasis program focusing enforcement efforts on industries and employers most impacted by COVID-19.
The...more
3/16/2021
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Compliance ,
Construction Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Food Manufacturers ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare ,
Inspections ,
Joe Biden ,
Manufacturers ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Remote Working ,
Risk Assessment ,
Social Distancing ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Safety
In response to an executive order signed by President Biden, OSHA recently issued updated COVID-19 guidance recommending that all employers adopt a formal COVID-19 prevention plan, incorporating the following activities and...more
President-elect Joe Biden recently picked Boston Mayor and former union leader Marty Walsh to lead the Department of Labor, putting him in charge of OSHA. Walsh, who was supported by many of the large unions, is expected to...more
After the Workers’ Compensation Commission withdrew its proposed Emergency Rule declaring that any employee in an “essential industry” contracting COVID will be rebuttably presumed to have contracted COVID at work, the...more
Previously, OSHA issued guidance indicating that most employers only had to record or report confirmed COVID-19 cases when provided with objective evidence that an employee contracted COVID-19 at work. In practice, this put...more
In the last few days, there have been a number of recent, important updates impacting our clients across all industries, as outlined below:
Face Masks. Governor Pritzker intends to modify and extend the “Stay at Home”...more
In follow up to our webinar from last week, there have been a number of recent, important updates from the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and OSHA as to how they intend to handle COVID-related cases, as outlined...more
OSHA has released an interim enforcement plan explaining how it will prioritize and conduct COVID-related inspections. Given the high volume of COVID-related reports and complaints, OSHA intends to conduct onsite inspections...more
Our clients continue asking us the same three questions below as it pertains to COVID-19’s impact on construction work in Illinois. We include those questions and our answers below:
1. Can my construction company...more
Our clients continue asking us the same two questions about COVID-19 as it pertains to their obligations under OSHA. We include those questions and our answers below:
1. What does OSHA expect me to do to prevent the spread...more
The Illinois legislature recently passed a law modifying the Contractor Prompt Payment Act, impacting retainage on all private projects (except residential projects involving twelve units or less). The law sets the ceiling...more
On October 11, 2018, OSHA issued an additional memorandum to further clarify its position on incentive programs and drug testing. While the memorandum does not set out drastic changes to OSHA’s earlier rule and guidance, it...more