The nation’s federal health authorities marked the next chapter of the pandemic yesterday by significantly loosening many COVID-19 recommendations – including dropping the “six-foot” social distancing rule – thereby...more
8/12/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Given the recent trauma many employers experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proactive employers are wondering what, if anything, they need to do about the monkeypox virus, which was recently declared a global health...more
In response to the surge of delta variant cases across the country, federal workplace safety officials just issued updated guidance to help employers and workers identify current COVID-19 risks for unvaccinated or otherwise...more
8/16/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Although the COVID-19 vaccines are expected to receive full FDA approval – perhaps as soon as later this month – an increasing number of businesses are not waiting for full authorization and are pressing forward to require...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that the agency now recommends that people in areas with “substantial” and “high” COVID-19 transmission should wear masks indoors, regardless of...more
7/28/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On the same day the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the long-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) applicable to healthcare employers, the agency also issued updated Guidance on Mitigating and...more
6/14/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
The EEOC kicked off the unofficial start of summer with a bang by clearing the way for employers to offer their employees incentives to get the COVID-19 vaccine in new guidance released on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend....more
6/1/2021
/ Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family Members ,
Gifts ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The announcement yesterday from the CDC that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-healthcare setting was a welcome relief for all Americans and a hopeful sign that we have...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has created many unique workplace safety issues for employers. One of the most challenging developments has been whether an employee’s COVID-19 case should go on your OSHA 300 logs pursuant to the...more
As colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education grapple with how best to return to campus with some sense of pre-pandemic “normalcy” for the 2021-2022 academic year, the issue of whether to require...more
With over 40 million Americans having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci recently declared that he expects the availability of vaccinations to significantly increase – predicting an “open...more
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved two different mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to be distributed in the U.S. for use in persons 18 years of age...more
Employers now have clarification that they will be able mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among their workers in certain circumstances without running afoul of key federal anti-discrimination laws, according to updated guidance...more
12/17/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interactive Process ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board just adopted an emergency standard related to COVID-19 prevention in the workplace, imposing some significant requirements on California employers. Most notably, the new rule finalized yesterday...more
11/20/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
President Donald Trump’s recent hospitalization at the Walter Reed Medical Center has captured the American public’s attention, especially given the potential implications with the election less than a month away. But for...more
10/12/2020
/ Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Evidence ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Investigations ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just changed its guidance for discontinuing transmission-based precautions and disposition of patients with COVID-19 for both healthcare and non-healthcare settings. Generally,...more
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health just issued an order mandating the use of face coverings in the Commonwealth. The July 1 order — which was likley prompted by a sharp rise in new reported COVID-19 cases following...more
On June 29, 2020, California introduced a bill that would require employers within 24 hours to notify their employees, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and the State Department of Public Health, of any employee...more
Like many Americans, when I’m not talking on the phone before I get to the office during my morning commute, I listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Recently, during one such commute, I listened to an informative yet alarming...more