Today, Virginia’s new and detailed COVID-19 regulation takes effect. The rule, an “emergency temporary standard” (ETS), was adopted July 15th by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI). Unlike general guidance and recommendations issued by CDC and federal OSHA, the Virginia rule requires all employers regulated by DOLI to develop, implement, and enforce COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures. Read on for a detailed summary of the rule’s requirements.
After a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejected an AFL-CIO request for an order requiring an emergency OSHA COVID-19 regulation, the union has petitioned for re-hearing by the entire Court. The rehearing request is pending.
While many employers consider whether and how to use COVID-19 tests of different kinds to help clear employees to return to work, the EEOC has clarified that not all tests are created equal in its eyes. Our partner, Barbara Grandjean, reports on the latest EEOC guidance.
COVID-19 has hit small and medium-sized businesses, and even regional companies, especially hard. On top of losing customers, trying to make payroll and rent, and being squeezed on either end, they have fewer resources to become experts on how to keep their workers safe. Many feel that they simply do not have the time or money to analyze pages of federal and state guidance and prepare detailed return-to-work plans. But, it need not be this way. We’ve got a solution.
All bets are off as regulatory agencies are tugged in every direction in pandemic world. Normally, an election year probably would not have seen particularly aggressive enforcement or rulemaking. For a while, COVID-19 health precautions and furloughed work sites meant reduced inspection activity. But, enforcement may be picking up, and a battle over new regulations is brewing. Here’s your full update.
After issuing in guidance in April that leaned against recording most COVID-19 cases, OSHA has now walked back that guidance somewhat. What’s the new guidance on recording your employee’s case of COVID-19? Read on.
As companies plan to reopen, we’re getting lots of questions about how to prepare for workers wearing cloth face masks, as advised by the CDC and now required by some jurisdictions. Should your employees wear masks? Must they? What do you need to know to do this right? Here is our summary of key questions and answers.
In the return-to-work phase, many companies will choose to screen employees by taking temperatures with no-contact thermometers. These devices can be important tools, but there are some important details to consider as you choose devices and implement policies.
Many companies are considering deploying health survey and/or contact-tracing apps as part of protecting the workforce as they bring employees back to work. The apps aim to identify if an employee might be infected or has been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. But, before you get started, there are critical privacy issues to consider.
The CDC has published new guidelines enabling workers employed in certain “Critical Infrastructure” jobs to return to work more quickly after they were exposed to people with known or suspected cases of COVID-19. Who’s covered and what are the key action items? Read on for our analysis.