In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signaled efforts to increase its scrutiny of work activities that may expose workers to heat-related hazards. ...more
9/22/2021
/ Construction Site ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Heat Exposure ,
Labor Reform ,
NEP ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
On August 26, 2021, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board adopted revised amendments to the Final Permanent Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19 (the Final Permanent...more
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 September 9, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden released a sweeping new COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic. This Plan includes mandates that employees working for large private employers, the federal government,...more
9/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On July 9, 2021, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to increase protection for employees exposed to extreme heat at work. This includes employees working in agriculture, construction, and...more
On July 9, 2021, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to increase protection for employees exposed to extreme heat at work. This includes employees working in agriculture, construction, and...more
On July 8, 2021, Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA) adopted emergency Heat Illness Prevention rules to establish workplace heat safety requirements that apply when temperatures in a work area...more
On April 26, 2021, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent emergency workplace safety rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the Office of Management and Budget for review....more
In response to President Biden’s January 2021 executive order, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on March 12, 2021, targeting...more
3/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NEP ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On January 29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released guidance for employers: Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the...more
2/10/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Risk Management ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 27, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that he had approved a Final Permanent Standard (Permanent Standard) for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace, making Virginia the first state in the nation to...more
2/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On November 19, 2020, over the vigorous objections of several employers, trade associations, employer agencies, and defense counsel, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously to pass the...more
On September 30, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding an employer’s obligation to report to OSHA cases of work-related COVID-19. The FAQs...more
10/6/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Recording Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On May 1, as part of Littler’s Virtual Executive Employer, attorney Alka Ramchandani-Raj was fortunate to interview Dr. John Howard, the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to...more
Over a roughly two-month period, COVID-19 has completely upended work as we know it. Businesses across the globe have struggled to function with limited staff and resources, restructured their workforces, and implemented new...more
On April 16, 2020, OSHA issued a memorandum, “Discretion in Enforcement when Considering an Employer's Good Faith Efforts During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic” (Discretion Memo). ...more
On April 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance to employers in the package delivery industry intended to assist them in reducing the risk of their...more
On April 10, 2020, in a Friday night memo, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its guidance on whether employers are required to record cases of COVID-19 in their 300 Logs for reporting...more
In the second enforcement memorandum, OSHA permits the use of non-NIOSH approved respirators. OSHA’s respiratory protection standard requires that any respirator required or permitted to be used be approved by NIOSH....more
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase within the United States, many employers are now asking whether they must record cases of COVID-19 on their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 Logs...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe remains a significant concern in the workplace. Employers are confronting difficult questions regarding how to handle leave and accommodation, immigration,...more
3/6/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
On December 17, 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Report for 2018....more
1/21/2020
/ Bodily Injury ,
Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Construction Site ,
Construction Workers ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
Heavy Equipment ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Opioid ,
OSHA ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Wrongful Death
On October 8, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds in Construction and Shipyard Sectors, 84...more
1/13/2020
/ Beryllium Exposure ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Health and Safety ,
Labor Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Hearing ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Shipyard Industry ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
In the November 2019 election Virginia gained a Democratic “trifecta”—both legislative chambers and the governorship are now controlled by one political party. It has been over two decades since Democratic lawmakers...more
1/7/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Ban the Box ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dress Codes ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Human Rights Act ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Leave of Absence ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pending Legislation ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Race Discrimination ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Right to Work ,
Salaried Employees ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
As 2019 comes to a close, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) remains active both on the regulatory and enforcement fronts, so employers must continue to be vigilant and proactive on their safety and...more
12/16/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
OSHA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SIP ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety