On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it is updating its COVID-19 guidance and is no longer recommending that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 isolate for five days. The...more
On February 3, 2023, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulation (NER). The NER is now the operative COVID-19 regulation for most California employers. Cal/OSHA also...more
2/7/2023
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
During a meeting of the Cal/OSHA Standards Board on November 17, 2022, Cal/OSHA’s Chief Deputy for Health and Research Standards unequivocally stated that no further modifications will be made to the proposed non-emergency...more
11/22/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
On October 13, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an order effective October 14, 2022, updating the definition of close contact under the Third Revised COVID Emergency Temporary Standard and...more
On June 8, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an Order (June 8th Order) defining “Close Contact” and “Infectious Period” for purposes of the CDPH’s Isolation and Quarantine Guidance issued on April...more
6/17/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Workplace Safety
On December 16, 2021, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (the “Standards Board”) adopted its second set of proposed revisions to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19...more
12/20/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
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
The federal government’s complicated multi-pronged approach to implementing COVID-19 safeguards related to federal contractors has left many confused. ...more
10/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier this month, President Biden released his COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic (Plan) with the stated goal of getting more people vaccinated....more
9/27/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 17, 2021, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) released for discussion initial draft text for proposed permanent COVID-19 regulations, which if adopted would be subject to renewal...more
9/22/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden released his COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic (the “Plan”). The Plan mandates vaccination against COVID-19 for employees working for employers that have 100 or more...more
9/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On August 13, 2021, OSHA issued updated guidance to better align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s July 27, 2021 recommendations, given the rising cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant. The guidance’s...more
8/18/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On January 8, 2021, Cal/OSHA issued a much-awaited second set of FAQs to its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The following are ten key takeaways...more
On September 29, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 2537 (AB 2537), the latest in a series of legislative enactments designed to protect employees from COVID-19 exposures in the workplace. ...more
10/2/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
While most of California has been shuttered since county health care officials, Governor Newsom and mayors throughout the state issued orders closing most businesses, schools and other institutions during the COVID-19...more
4/23/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Health and Safety ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retail Market ,
Risk Management ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On April 12, 2020, New York State became the latest and largest jurisdiction to impose face-covering requirements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, seven Bay Area counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz—issued “shelter in place” orders effective March 17 at 12:01 a.m....more
Employers are doing their best to respond to the 2019 New Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic. The outbreak that began in China has rapidly evolved into a global crisis. It has caused turbulence in financial markets, forced...more
2/18/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Multinationals ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
In response to the dangerous levels of air quality last fall after the wildfires in Northern and Southern California, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued a proposed regulation...more