As we enter the new year, and the fourth year of the pandemic, the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate. Two new Omicron subvariants, known as XBB and XBB.1.5 – unofficially nicknamed “Kraken” by some scientists – have emerged...more
1/11/2023
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Indiana just joined a growing number of states that have rescinded their COVID-19 states of emergency while also enacting new pandemic-related legislation – but employers shouldn’t completely let down their guard just yet....more
3/10/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Holcomb ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State of Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Supreme Court blocked OSHA from enforcing the vaccine mandate-or-test ETS and the agency responded Tuesday by shelving the emergency rule altogether. In some ways, these two developments mean that the pathway for...more
In a surprise move, the Supreme Court failed to resolve either of the two pending workplace vaccine cases yesterday morning despite having announced a special decision day that led most Court observers to think that yesterday...more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Supreme Court just blocked OSHA’s vaccine ETS from being enforced for the foreseeable future, meaning your compliance to-do list has gotten significantly shorter – but it has by no means disappeared. While today’s 6 to 3...more
Perhaps no workplace law issue has generated more controversy in recent memory than the battle over the Biden administration’s vaccine rules currently being waged at the Supreme Court. The good news? By accelerating the...more
1/3/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Oral Argument ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In one of the more shocking developments in a year full of surprises, a federal appeals court breathed new life into the Biden administration’s mandate-or-test emergency vaccine rule with a stunning Friday afternoon decision....more
Employers may feel confused about the status of the lawsuits that blocked the OSHA Vaccine mandate-or-test ETS from going into effect as originally planned. Not only do you feel stuck in a litigation limbo, but you can’t make...more
In a terse 22-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reaffirmed its preliminary stay that blocked the mandate-or-test Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) late Friday, further complicating the status of...more
Citing potential “grave statutory and constitutional issues” with the mandate-or-test emergency vaccine rule unveiled by OSHA on Thursday, a federal appeals court just issued an order blocking the ETS from taking effect on a...more
Federal workplace safety officials just released the mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule, and employers are sure to have questions. The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) developed by the Occupational Safety and...more
11/5/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Joint Employers ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
As part of his administration’s plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden recently announced a “six-pronged, comprehensive national strategy” to use every tool at his disposal to enforce vaccine and testing...more
In arguably the most far-reaching move of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration announced Thursday that federal workplace safety officials will soon issue a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more...more
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) recently updated its COVID-19 control measures in response to the resurgence of positive cases across the state, and all employers regardless of industry will be expected to take...more
9/10/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Day Care ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Pre-Schools ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Almost six months after President Joe Biden directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine whether emergency temporary standards (ETS) concerning COVID-19 were necessary, OSHA finally issued the...more
6/14/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
First Responders ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
Nursing Homes ,
OSHA ,
Physicians ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In late September, Indiana Governor Holcomb announced that Indiana could move to Stage 5 of his “Back On Track” COVID-19 plan, which allowed businesses to reopen and operate under a few restrictive measures. Since that time,...more
11/16/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Holcomb ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Noting that outbreaks at food processing facilities and other high-density critical infrastructure businesses have raised unique questions that require additional guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...more
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb just announced his plan to gradually reopen the state as part of a five-step plan, dubbed “Back-On-Track.” Indiana will follow four guiding principles to determine how various sectors of the...more
5/4/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Governor Holcomb ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
State and Local Government ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Resuming business operations as the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic decreases and governments in Kentucky and Indiana ease restrictions will involve more than unlocking your front door and turning the lights on. You must...more
5/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Leave ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Death