The latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has barely been contained, yet employers are now being hit with employee inquiries related to monkeypox. As this virus spreads, states and localities are declaring emergencies while...more
Nearly two years after enacting the first-in-the-nation permanent COVID-19 workplace safety and health standard, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board (the “Board”) has voted to rescind its COVID-19 standard. The...more
The last four to six weeks have been a whirlwind for private employers across the country. Federal vaccine mandates and regulations have been enacted, and then enjoined, and additional states have limited the ability of...more
12/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Certain states are continuing to prohibit or severely curb the ability of private employers to mandate that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. In just 10 days since our most recent update, several additional states...more
11/23/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As reported less than a week ago, some states are pushing back on government and private employer vaccine mandates through state legislation and lawsuits against the federal government. In just three business days since that...more
11/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Eight weeks after President Joseph R. Biden’s announcement, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring all employers with at least 100 employees...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
As the world closes in on the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the face of stagnating rates of vaccination, governments and employers anxious to return to “normal” have been increasingly...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Religious Exemption ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signaled efforts to increase its scrutiny of work activities that may expose workers to heat-related hazards. ...more
9/22/2021
/ Construction Site ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Heat Exposure ,
Labor Reform ,
NEP ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
On August 26, 2021, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board adopted revised amendments to the Final Permanent Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19 (the Final Permanent...more
On July 9, 2021, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to increase protection for employees exposed to extreme heat at work. This includes employees working in agriculture, construction, and...more
On July 9, 2021, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to increase protection for employees exposed to extreme heat at work. This includes employees working in agriculture, construction, and...more
On April 26, 2021, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent emergency workplace safety rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the Office of Management and Budget for review....more
On January 27, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that he had approved a Final Permanent Standard (Permanent Standard) for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace, making Virginia the first state in the nation to...more
2/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
Since the beginning of April, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that, when in public settings, individuals wear cloth face masks to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19....more
On May 1, as part of Littler’s Virtual Executive Employer, attorney Alka Ramchandani-Raj was fortunate to interview Dr. John Howard, the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to...more
Over a roughly two-month period, COVID-19 has completely upended work as we know it. Businesses across the globe have struggled to function with limited staff and resources, restructured their workforces, and implemented new...more
On December 17, 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Report for 2018....more
1/21/2020
/ Bodily Injury ,
Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Construction Site ,
Construction Workers ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
Heavy Equipment ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Opioid ,
OSHA ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Death
On October 8, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds in Construction and Shipyard Sectors, 84...more
1/13/2020
/ Beryllium Exposure ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Health and Safety ,
Labor Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Hearing ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Shipyard Industry ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
As 2019 comes to a close, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) remains active both on the regulatory and enforcement fronts, so employers must continue to be vigilant and proactive on their safety and...more
12/16/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
OSHA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SIP ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its top 10 most frequently cited violations for Fiscal Year 2019. The list remains largely unchanged from last year’s....more
12/11/2019
/ Construction Project ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Industrial Space ,
Labor Law Violations ,
OSHA ,
Safety Violations ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) short- and long-term regulatory agendas remain busy as we close out 2019 and enter 2020. The regulatory agenda is published twice a year and sets forth the Agency’s...more
12/3/2019
/ Construction Project ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Manufacturers ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety