On September 30, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 553 into law, establishing a new written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (“WVPP”) requirement for nearly all California employers. The WVPP requirement, which becomes...more
10/18/2023
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Newsom ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
On September 15, 2022, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“Board”) will hold a public hearing to address its draft proposed COVID-19 Permanent Standard (“Permanent Standard”). At the hearing, the...more
In our annual California Legislative Update, we briefly explained that SB 606 expanded the enforcement authority of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) in various ways. With the new law’s...more
12/31/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement Actions ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Regulatory Violations ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
On June 17, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to adopt revisions to the Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), and Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order allowing the revised ETS to go into effect immediately. ...more
6/21/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
California has issued new guidance for the use of face coverings that will take effect on June 15, 2021. The guidance impacts retailers and coincides with news that approximately 47% of Californians are now fully vaccinated....more
After several fits and starts, on June 3, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board finally passed revised Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) that now take into account employee vaccination status and...more
6/9/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Guidance Update ,
Masks ,
Occupational Exposure ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Prompted by increased availability of vaccine appointments, and broad eligibility for all U.S. adults and teenagers, the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) have...more
5/18/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Exclusions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
California retailers facing a variety of complications from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic now have one additional obstacle to tackle: compliance with new emergency standards from California’s Division of Occupational Safety...more
12/9/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Rule ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Quarantine ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On November 19, 2020, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board unanimously adopted emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 prevention in the workplace. For much of the pandemic, California’s Division of...more
On September 17, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 685 into law, establishing new requirements for employers to notify employees and their unions about a potential COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. The new...more
9/23/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Confidentiality Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Enforcement ,
Governor Newsom ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Notice Requirements ,
Privacy Policy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Workplace Outbreaks ,
Written Notice