The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued revised guidance in the form of three new Q&As on its website further clarifying when employers must inform OSHA if employees are hospitalized or die...more
A new D.C. emergency law titled “Protecting Businesses and Workers from COVID-19 Emergency Amendment Act of 2020” (Act), signed by the Mayor on August 13, 2020, requires all private employers and D.C. agencies to take...more
Effective July 27, 2020, Virginia employers must comply with new COVID-19 workplace safety standards, known as the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The ETS applies to all employers subject to the jurisdiction of the...more
In Tuesday's report: FDA issues first EUA for sample pooling, closes its COVID-19 hotline, and extends HCT/P enforcement discretion; a litigation team podcast on work return risks; Virginia establishes COVID-19 workplace...more
After several weeks of discussion, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board (Board) on July 15, 2020 adopted the nation’s first workplace safety standards designed to establish requirements for employers to control,...more
The District of Columbia recently adopted a new version of emergency laws requiring employers to provide both paid and unpaid leave to eligible employees for certain COVID-19 related reasons....more
7/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On Thursday, June 18, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a pamphlet with “guidance to assist employers and workers in safely returning to work and reopening businesses deemed by local...more
6/22/2020
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
As employers across the country are implementing return to work procedures and are gradually opening up their workspaces, many employers were left with unanswered questions regarding what testing they may conduct prior to...more
Last week, the EEOC updated its Q&As for “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws”. Here are some highlights...more
CDC provides updated guidance and toolkit for employers preparing to re-open -
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to release workplace re-opening guidance, both generally and for employers...more
On May 19, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued Revised Enforcement Guidance (Guidance) requiring employers to investigate whether employee COVID-19 infections are “work-related” for the...more
As the world learns how to navigate the new normal, businesses have become accustomed to dealing with what used to be considered exceptional – managing mass shut-downs, disrupted supply chains, the collapse of demand, and the...more
5/12/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
OSHA ,
Price Gouging ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Rent ,
Rental Property ,
Retail Market ,
Social Distancing ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommuting ,
Workplace Safety
Many U.S. employers are eager to reopen their worksites and to resume more normal in-person operations. But resumption of business while the country continues to face the risk of COVID-19 infections presents significant legal...more
In an important development for critical workforces that continue to operate, as well as businesses planning to reopen, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has advised employers that they may administer...more
4/24/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
Employers should be aware of recent changes in state workers’ compensation laws which expand protections for “front-line” workers in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
On April 8, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated interim guidance (Guidance) advising that asymptomatic critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue to work onsite...more
4/17/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Screening Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will begin issuing industry-specific guidance to protect American workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance to date has been in the form of “tips” rather than...more
The “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” (the “Bill”), a broad response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, has passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 363-40 and is expected to pass in the Senate and be...more
3/16/2020
/ Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The Coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”) presents a plethora of challenging labor and employment issues for employers in the United States. ...more
3/6/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety