Seyfarth Synopsis: The WHO and the CDC have updated statements and FAQs on the monkeypox disease, declaring the disease a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The WHO and the CDC issued statements and FAQs on the monkeypox disease, declaring the disease a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court stayed enforcement of OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), pending further litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...more
1/14/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
Seyfarth Synopsis: Today OSHA updated its Protecting Workers Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace to adopt recommendations “analogous” to the July 27, 2021 Centers for Disease Control...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In light of rising cases of COVID-19, the CDC has recently reversed its prior facemask guidance, and has now required that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks indoors in areas where...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: President Biden recently laid out his administration’s next steps in efforts to get more Americans vaccinated.
On July 29, 2021, the White House released “Remarks by President Biden Laying Out the Next...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 27, 2021, the CDC revised its mask guidance in response to the burgeoning threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant, recommending that all individuals — including those who are vaccinated — wear masks...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 28, 2021, OSHA published a Compliance Directive, DIR 2021-02 (CPL 02), covering inspection procedures and enforcement policies for the Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19. The new directive...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 21, 2021, the federal register published OSHA’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (“ETS”), focused on the health care industry....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 9, 2021, at the tail end of prepared remarks before the House Education and Labor Committee, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced – not with a bang, but with a whimper – that OSHA would publish...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As the prospects of a likely Biden administration develop a key question becomes what should employers expect from OSHA under Biden? A COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, aggressive enforcement, and a...more
1. Introduction -
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, drugs and alcohol remain a significant occupational safety issue for employers across the country. The legal environment is rapidly changing for many drugs, and additional...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In two recent guidance documents, OSHA recommends that employers encourage workers to wear cloth face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. OSHA further addresses the challenges posed by cloth face...more
9/21/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: Cal/OSHA, in a press release, noted that it recently issued citations to a food manufacturer and its temporary employment agency, with over $200,000 in proposed penalties to each employer for “failing to...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Cal/OSHA announced that it has cited eleven employers for not protecting employees from COVID-19 exposure during inspections of industries where workers have an elevated risk of exposure. The industries...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA Administrator Loren Sweatt recently blogged related to heat illness in the workplace as “forecasters are calling for above-average heat in some parts of the country and scorching temperatures in July...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have jointly released coronavirus-related interim guidance for meatpacking and meat...more
5/4/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The WHO has officially declared COVID-19 to be a global “pandemic,” triggering new considerations for employers....more
3/13/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
Seyfarth Synopsis: With coronavirus infections continuing to spread both in the US and abroad, fears of a pandemic with serious disruptions to the economy and everyday life continue to grow. Concerns are compounded for...more
3/6/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OCR ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Telemedicine ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: Cal/OSHA has issued guidance on protecting workers from exposure to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV or Coronavirus)....more
2/6/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: By now, the worldwide health authorities and media have publicized the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (sometimes called Coronavirus) (the “virus” or “disease”) that has been first identified in Wuhan,...more
1/30/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
China ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Premises Liability ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
Seyfarth Synopsis: First American case reported of deadly new Chinese coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has indicated that it is closely monitoring an outbreak caused by a new 2019 Novel...more
1/22/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: Health care providers are increasingly called upon to address drug resistant medical cases such as Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging multidrug-resistant fungus that presents a serious health threat to...more
4/23/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Clinical Laboratories ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Risk Management ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
The flu and cold season is now approaching. Tragically, each year, a number of deaths result from flu and other infectious diseases. Employers again routinely face concerns about how to respond to highly infectious diseases...more
11/14/2018
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Premises Liability ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
By now, the worldwide health authorities and media have publicized the Zika virus disease (Zika) that has been reported throughout South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Although the United States has only...more
2/12/2016
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
General Duty Clause ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Zika