The most recent amendment to New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, permits any employee to seek workers’ compensation benefits when they experience a “mental injury premised upon...more
1/23/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
PTSD ,
State Labor Laws ,
Work-Induced Stress ,
Workers’ Compensation ,
Workplace Safety
The New York State Department of Labor has issued proposed regulations interpreting and further defining the contours of the HERO Act’s joint labor-management workplace safety committees. We summarize the proposed...more
Mayor-elect Eric Adams has announced that he plans to keep New York City’s vaccine mandate in place once he takes office. Mayor-elect Adams, who is set to be sworn in as the City’s 110th mayor shortly after midnight on...more
New York City has released its anticipated vaccine order for private businesses alongside a workplace vaccine requirement webpage containing interpretative guidance and other helpful links. The new vaccine order generally...more
12/16/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Exemptions ,
New York ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
UPDATE: A federal appeals court (the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals) permanently blocked OSHA’s vaccine rule on November 12, 2021, citing to “serious constitutional concerns” with the rule. This is not the end of the...more
11/30/2021
/ Appeals ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enforcement ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has released its long-awaited Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) pertaining to workplace COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for employers with 100 or...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has published guidance regarding employee cannabis use. We previously reported on the amendments to New York’s off-duty conduct law—New York Labor Law Section 201-D—which now...more
11/4/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Policies ,
New Guidance ,
NYDOL ,
Proprietary Information ,
Recreational Use ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trade Secrets ,
Workplace Safety
The New York State Department of Health Commissioner has extended the designation of COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health in New York State” until...more