California has adopted an emergency standard to address the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace after the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved Cal/OSHA’s proposed rule. The board approved the standard Nov. 19, but the regulation didn’t go into effect until Dec. 1. While healthcare workers are protected from the coronavirus and other diseases […]
Through Nov. 12, 2020, federal OSHA has issued a total of 232 coronavirus-related citations, with fines totaling $3,148,452. OSHA previously announced citations from 203 inspections, and this recent update adds 29 more, including: Senior Philanthropy of Milford B LLC in Illinois and East Longmeadow Management Systems of Massachusetts hit with the highest initial penalty of $23,133 the second […]
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, there were fewer attempts to appeal OSHA citations in fiscal year 2020, according to a report from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC). Employers filed 1,845 appeals with the OSHRC in FY 2020, down 8.5% from the 2,017 filed in FY 2019. The OSHRC attributes the decrease in […]
A meatpacking plant and a temporary staffing company face a total of $104,795 in Cal/OSHA fines in connection with an investigation after 303 COVID-19 cases at the facility. Cal/OSHA issued $58,100 in fines to Smithfield Food’s Farmer John plant in Vernon, CA, and $46,695 in fines to CitiStaff Solutions Inc. in East Los Angeles, CA, […]
The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to help employers understand the standards most frequently cited during OSHA COVID-19 inspections. This guidance is based on data coming mostly from citations issued following complaints, referrals and fatalities in healthcare facilities and meat processing plants. Available resources addressing respiratory protection, recording and reporting, PPE and the General […]
Pfizer’s announcement about progress with its COVID-19 vaccine means it’s time for employers to consider what their employee vaccination policies will be. Can you mandate employees get vaccinated? The short answer is, yes, you can mandate employee vaccinations for COVID-19. However, in many cases you may be better off strongly encouraging workers to get the […]
Even if there hadn’t been a coronavirus pandemic, you could expect to see significant differences between a Trump OSHA and a Biden OSHA. COVID-19 has put emphasis on OSHA and will accelerate changes at the agency. Here are the changes to expect soon after January 20, 2021, when the new president takes office: Temporary emergency […]
Construction workers are almost five times more likely to be hospitalized for the coronavirus compared to non-construction workers, according to a study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin. Researchers at the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at UT made the discovery from hospitalization data in Austin from March to August. The findings mirror an […]
Through Oct. 22, 2020, federal OSHA has cited 144 facilities for coronavirus violations, with fines totaling $2,025,431. OSHA had previously announced citations for 112 facilities. This weekly update adds 32 more locations to the list, including: Mission Care of Illinois LLC (Abbott EMS), Belleville, with the highest initial penalty of $24,215 the second highest fine, […]
