If an employer learns that an employee infected with COVID-19 was at the workplace, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health authorities encourage or require the employer to identify other...more
Whistleblower charges alleging workplace safety retaliation have surged dramatically during COVID-19. Approximately 30 percent more charges have been filed with federal OSHA over the same period last year, according to a...more
On September 17, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two laws creating new or expanded obligations concerning COVID-19—Senate Bill (SB) 1159 and Assembly Bill (AB) 685. These new laws will require employers to...more
As the U.S. economy continues to reopen, many employers are faced with the need to select face protection for their employees. But not all forms of face protection are created equal, adding another potential layer of...more
Most employers in the United States are required to keep an ongoing record of work-related injuries and illnesses, known as an "OSHA 300 log." While it is often obvious whether an injury is work-related, the nature of...more
As we approach May 2020, many federal, state, and local slow-the-spread guidelines and stay-home orders are set to expire. Although some jurisdictions may extend their guidelines and orders, others may modify them to allow a...more
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today issued new guidance for businesses in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties to help stem the spread of COVID-19. This guidance both reinforces previous advice about personal hygiene...more
3/13/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Screening Procedures ,
Workplace Safety
As coronavirus strain 2019-nCoV continues to spread beyond China, including multiple confirmed U.S. cases, employers are faced with providing a safe and healthy work environment for their employees while avoiding accidental...more
Employers are liable for employees’ discriminatory conduct toward non-employees in places of public accommodation, such as restaurants, banks, hotels, medical providers' offices, and education facilities – even if the...more
Employers who use third party vendors to perform background checks regarding job applicants and current employees know that they must comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act’s technical disclosure and authorization...more
On January 25, 2019, OSHA published a new reporting rule partially rescinding Obama-era regulations that required many employers to annually e-file detailed workplace injury records....more
On October 11, 2018, OSHA issued interpretive guidance designed to "clarify" controversial language in the Preamble to the anti-retaliation provisions in the recordkeeping and reporting amendments adopted by the Obama OSHA...more
As of September 21, 2018, employers that use third-party background checks – regulated as “consumer reports” under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) – must add new terms to the form entitled “A Summary of Your...more
Washington is the latest state to pass a so-called “Ban the box” law that limits employers’ ability to use criminal background checks to screen applicants and employees....more
Employers, understandably, want to know as much as possible about job candidates, and many look to background checks as a source of relevant information. Unfortunately, the laws governing employer use of background checks,...more
The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (“OLS”) has released proposed rules implementing the Secure Scheduling Ordinance. The Ordinance takes effect on July 1, 2017 and requires large retail and food service employers in...more
The retaliation provisions of OSHA’s new “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” rule are now scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016. OSHA states that the purpose of the rule is to intensify anti-retaliation...more
On Sept. 19, 2016, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed the Secure Scheduling Ordinance, which applies to large retail and food service employers in Seattle. It requires these employers to provide employees with...more
10/19/2016
/ Covered Employer ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Good Faith ,
Labor Standards Enforcement ,
Local Ordinance ,
On-Call Employees ,
Private Right of Action ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
The Seattle City Council is expected to vote Monday, Sept. 19, 2016 on a highly controversial ordinance that would impose numerous and complex employee scheduling restrictions on certain Seattle businesses. Called the “Secure...more
Seattle’s new criminal background check ordinance goes into effect Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. In anticipation, the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (“SOCR”) recently issued rules implementing the new law. The ordinance restricts...more
On June 10, 2013, the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance significantly restricting private employers’ ability to rely on criminal background checks to screen applicants for jobs in the City of Seattle. If Mayor McGinn...more
Earlier this year, the EEOC issued new Enforcement Guidance warning private sector employers that they could face litigation unless they significantly restrict the use of arrest and conviction records in hiring, promotion,...more