The public health emergency that was declared by federal health agencies is scheduled to end May 11, and President Biden has signed legislation ending the COVID-19 national emergency. But what does that mean for employers? Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, employers and safety professionals have had to struggle with workplace mandates and guidance that […]
Oregon OSHA rescinded its COVID-19 Workplace Requirements for All Workplaces effective April 3, 2023. This is “in alignment with updated public health guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA),” according to the state safety agency. This also applies to the Requirements for Employer-Provided Labor Housing. Official rulemaking on these changes will be published “in the […]
California’s COVID-19 workplace isolation guidelines have changed to come into alignment with current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) made the change March 13, 2023, adjusting the guidelines based on severity of an individual’s COVID-19 symptoms, according to law firm Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & […]
A Texas dental practice has to pay more than $15,000 in back pay to two whistleblowers who raised concerns about COVID-19 safety measures early in 2020. An OSHA whistleblower investigation found that Roger and David Bohannan of Roger H. Bohannan DDS Inc. terminated the two employees because they asked questions about the protections the practice […]
Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations that require California employers to protect workers from COVID-19 hazards are in effect as of Feb. 3, 2023. The new regulations are in effect through Feb. 3, 2025, with recordkeeping requirements in effect through Feb. 3, 2026. California employers should note that: COVID-19 workplace measures may be addressed within their […]
New research reveals that workers in protective services occupations had the highest rate of death from COVID-19 during the pandemic, with 60 deaths per 100,000 workers. For industry, the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths occurred in accommodation and food services with 55 deaths per 100,000 workers, according to the study, which was conducted by the […]
While OSHA submitted its proposed permanent COVID-19 healthcare standard to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review in early December, nothing has been heard about it since. Review timelines at the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) vary, and law firm Seyfarth Shaw said the […]
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted permanent COVID-19 regulations on Dec. 15. California’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) will remain in effect while the state’s Office of Administrative Law reviews the permanent regulations. The Office of Administrative Law has 30 working days to complete its review. If the permanent regulations are approved, […]
OSHA submitted its proposed permanent COVID-19 healthcare standard to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review on Dec. 7. The agency officially withdrew its COVID-19 healthcare emergency temporary standard (ETS) on Dec. 22, 2021, and declared it would continue working on issuing a permanent standard as quickly as possible. Review by […]
