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After the Supreme Court’s stay of the emergency temporary standard (ETS) regarding COVID-19 in January, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is turning to the other options it has to continue regulating and enforcing COVID-related health and safety violations. In a recent webinar, Eric J. Conn and Lindsay A. DiSalvo of Conn Maciel Carey […]
At press time, the country waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the fate of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which would create a COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirement in the workplace for large employers. The court heard oral arguments about the ETS on Friday, Jan. 7, and […]
With the last of the federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates shut down at least temporarily, employers are in a wait-and-see mode as they ponder next steps in the effort to do business during a pandemic. On December 7, a federal judge in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction against the vaccine mandate on federal contractors. Previously, a […]
Employers will have to wait to see what the future holds for the Biden administration’s rule that would require some 84 million employees across the country to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule, which was published in the Federal Register on November […]
Maine can move ahead and enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate against designated healthcare employees after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant an injunction to a group of affected workers last Friday, when the statute was supposed to take effect. The employees had challenged the law because it doesn’t allow a religious exemption. 4 Takeaways […]
On June 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an enforcement directive for its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), which only applies to healthcare and healthcare support services employers. The directive includes exemptions from inspection and enforcement under the ETS for a number of tasks and facilities, such as: Provision of first aid […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is easing its COVID-19 recommendations for fully vaccinated workplaces, but the agency is still advising employers to take steps to protect any unvaccinated workers. On June 10, OSHA announced updated guidance along with new rules for frontline healthcare employers. The latest word from OSHA reflects new guidance from […]
Federal and state workplace safety and health authorities have yet to provide employers with clear guidance after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted recommendations for face coverings and social distancing for people fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can shed their masks in many settings, including indoors, no doubt came as welcome news to mask-weary workers, but employers are warned not to relax rules too quickly.
The ramping up of vaccination for COVID-19 comes with rising concerns about bloodborne pathogen (BBP) exposure for vaccinators and the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as steps to prevent needlestick injuries and other BBP program requirements.