The California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Standards Board voted on December 15 to approve a non-emergency COVID-19 prevention standard. If approved by the Office of Administrative Law, this non-emergency...more
As US federal and local governments have declared monkeypox to be a public health emergency, employers attuned to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic may be left wondering what protocols to implement before and after a...more
While state and local governments and local health authorities can continue to require individuals and businesses to maintain stricter standards than the CDC’s recently updated guidance, the changes reflect the CDC’s current...more
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance on employer COVID-19 testing programs on July 12. The update reinforces that the evolving circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic require an individualized...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new framework on February 25 providing that mask wearing is optional in low- and moderate-risk settings....more
The US Supreme Court issued two decisions on January 13, 2022 in cases challenging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Vaccination and Testing and the Centers for...more
1/17/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 7, the US Supreme Court debated a range of complex issues in a pair of oral arguments over challenges to two federal regulations requiring workplace COVID-19 precautions. Although it is unlikely the Court will...more
1/10/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Oral Argument ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On December 17, 2021, a divided panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granted the federal government’s emergency motion to dissolve the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s stay of the Occupational...more
12/21/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on December 6 that employees (1) not previously covered under the existing “Key to NYC” vaccination requirements and (2) who perform in-person work for private businesses in the...more
The Fifth Circuit temporarily stayed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19, placing it in legal limbo. In addition, state governments continue to take actions related to...more
After long anticipation by US companies and their employees, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its 490-page Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) and preamble on COVID-19...more
11/8/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued guidance on September 24 detailing the requirements that covered federal contractors and subcontractors must follow to comply with Executive Order 14042, “Ensuring Adequate COVID...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently updated its nonbinding COVID-19 guidance applicable to all industries not otherwise covered by its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The primary purpose of...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued important updates to its COVID-19 guidance for employers on June 10. To start, the long-awaited COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is effective...more
6/14/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals on May 13 to state that “fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance” in most...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been actively reviewing its COVID-19 guidance over the past few weeks and as expected, the new administration has issued significant new guidance and updates. ...more
Among other features, the new guidance recommends that employers implement a COVID-19 prevention program and identifies key measures for limiting the spread of COVID-19. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration...more
Virginia employers should take note of how the new COVID-19 permanent standard differs from last summer’s temporary standard and ensure that training and policies are updated accordingly. In July 2020, the Commonwealth of...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance to public health agencies on December 2 to provide options to reduce the duration of quarantine periods for asymptomatic individuals who were exposed to...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new interim guidance on November 16, revising the approach businesses should take when determining whether critical infrastructure workers who have been exposed to...more
11/25/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Quarantine ,
Workplace Safety
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its definition of “close contact” to include individuals who spend 15 cumulative minutes within six feet of an individual infected with coronavirus (COVID-19)...more
Employers are facing issues relating to shortages of respirators and non-surgical face coverings. The ever-evolving local, state, and federal regulatory landscape, coupled with these shortages, has sent employers scrambling,...more
As jurisdictions contemplate lifting pandemic-related workplace restrictions, employers must start considering how best to cope with a vast array of issues, and protecting the safety of employees and customers. ...more