OSHA announced last week that it has issued 204 citations so far relating to COVID-19 with total penalties of $2,856,533. As these penalties continue to climb, OSHA also issued new guidance to help employers understand which standards it most often cites relating to the pandemic.
Announcements by both Pfizer and Moderna that their trial COVID-19 vaccines appear to be over 90% effective have led to a surge of interest by everyone, employers included, about exactly when and how a vaccine will save us from pandemic life. Here are some updated key questions and answers for employers about what to expect next.
Many companies and organizations will be updating their COVID-19 plans as a result of new CDC guidance this week. Based on a new case study, the CDC has significantly expanded when someone is in “close contact” with the virus. This definition is at the heart of almost every workplace, school, and healthcare COVID-19 policy. The broader definition will likely significantly expand social distancing, contact tracing and the number of people required to isolate after a case is discovered.
While federal OSHA has not implemented new regulations for COVID-19, the push by some individual states to do so continues. Most recently, California passed a law that sets up new COVID-19 requirements for employers in the state, especially around providing notices and reports of workplaces exposures.
Coal mine operators could face a dilemma with the annual proficiency and training requirements of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (Miner Act) and the regulations Subpart Mine Rescue Teams for Underground Coal Mines conflicting with COVID-19 risk mitigation efforts.
COVID-19 has not derailed the “One MSHA Initiative,” MSHA’s effort to blur the “distinction between coal and metal/non-metal enforcement for more efficient use of resources.” That’s not a surprise, given the commitment of MSHA’s leadership to the Initiative and the fact that it started back in 2018.
by Emily Lyons
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a checklist to assist human and animal food operations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The checklist is useful for firms growing, harvesting, packing, manufacturing, processing, or holding human and animal food regulated by FDA
by Sydney Buckley
With scientists worldwide racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, many employers are asking if they can require employees to be vaccinated. As with everything COVID-19, there are many open questions, but here are some of the major legal issues in considering mandatory vaccination policies.
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.
Our popular ACRI course for mine supervisors, executives, and managers to learn how to minimize MSHA liability is going virtual! Next month, Husch Blackwell is partnering once again with Predictive Compliance and Catamount Consulting to offer a two-day, intensive, live online course titled Alternative Case Resolution Initiative: Defending and Winning MSHA Litigation.