Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The COVID-19 outbreak is at top of mind for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals nationwide.
The governors of Arizona, South Carolina, and Utah all objected to plans by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to revoke federal approval of their states’ safety and health programs. The agency alleges the three state programs are less effective than federal safety and health enforcement because the states have not adopted OSHA’s […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Bloomingdale, Illinois, nursing facility with violations of the agency’s COVID-19 healthcare emergency temporary standard (ETS). OSHA cited West Suburban Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for a repeat violation of the respiratory protection standard and five serious health violations and is seeking $83,675 in penalties. “Simply wearing a […]
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) October 14 called for a federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring COVID-19 vaccination or weekly negative tests that takes a risk-assessment approach rather than applying employer requirements primarily based on employee counts. The anticipated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency rule announced by the White House on […]
Despite rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the delta variant, executive leaders are pushing toward a post-pandemic return-to-work model that puts employees in the office at least two days a week. HR and IT/security professionals have been feeling squeezed between a rock and a hard place trying to meet workforce health, safety, technology, data […]
Employer vaccine requirements have increased worker vaccination rates by 35%, according to a report released September 29 by the National Safety Council (NSC) highlighting lessons learned from employer responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report collected data from a sample of 300 U.S.-based employers and 3,785 individuals in surveys and interviews conducted between June and […]
Like you, we had hoped COVID-19-related issues would have waned by now and we could all move forward with a return to “normal.” Not so fast, apparently, as the disease’s delta variant has surged, and tensions between the pro- and antivaccination contingents have heightened. More employers are taking charge of the coronavirus narrative at work, […]
How is it that President Joe Biden can order the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an emergency rule that requires employers to vaccinate all their employees or test them for COVID-19? Is this normal? How does OSHA even have that kind of authority? Like much since the COVID-19 pandemic was first declared […]
In a September 13 letter to President Joe Biden, the Consumer Brands Association called for immediate clarification on the president’s COVID-19 response plan, especially plans for employers to require vaccination or weekly testing of their employees. “Our country’s ability to increase vaccination rates hinges on federal agencies offering clear, detailed, and timely guidance in hours, […]
On September 6, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the state health commissioner had formally designated COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health” under the state’s Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act). The Act imposes significant occupational health and safety obligations on […]
President Joe Biden’s announcement of a new action plan aimed at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic will create new requirements for certain employers, and the rules have employers asking what they need to do, when they need to comply, and the consequences for noncompliance. Biden’s plan, announced September 9, is a six-pronged approach that includes an […]