Safety/Health

$136K COVID fine shows OSHA is in for the long haul

05/21/2021

In what appears to be the first company cited under OSHA’s new National Emphasis Program on COVID enforcement, a Massachusetts tax-prep company was hit with a $136,552 fine for, in part, prohibiting employees and customers from wearing face masks in the office during the statewide mask mandate last winter.

Revisit workplace mask policies in light of new CDC guidance

05/18/2021

Don’t rush to scrap your workplace masking and distancing rules solely on the basis of what the CDC says. In fact, OSHA remains the go-to safety authority for employers.

Snapshot: Only 8% of employers will require covid-19 vaccinations

05/18/2021

Few employers are leaning toward requiring employees to be vaccinated as a condition of returning to the workplace.

Be alert for covid-related negligence liability

05/13/2021

Most workplace-related covid-19 infection claims have been resolved through the workers’ compensation system, where employer liability is limited. But a handful of recent claims have made their way into court because they allege secondary infection of nonemployees. There is no limit on the dollar amount plaintiffs can seek in a negligence lawsuit.

Employers, employees may clash over return-to-work

05/13/2021

Employers continue to struggle with what post-pandemic work ought to look like, according to a new survey by the Littler Mendelson employment law firm. One of the most potentially significant problems: Employers and employees may disagree about plans for reopening workplaces after a year of working remotely.

The uphill battle to vaccinate all employees

05/11/2021

The challenges employers face trying to create safe workplaces this summer mirror those facing the nation at large. Although most employers want to ensure as many employees as possible are vaccinated against covid-19, a significant percentage of people don’t want the shots.

OSHA: Act fast to curb workplace infections

05/06/2021

After almost a year of inaction as the coronavirus raged, OSHA is now scrambling to play catch-up. Biden administration officials say OSHA is committed to protecting workers from infection as covid-19 hot spots emerge even as the pandemic winds down.

Here’s another reason not to mandate covid vaccines

04/29/2021

OSHA has determined that requiring employees to receive covid-19 vaccines automatically makes any adverse reaction to the vaccine a work-related, OSHA-recordable event that must appear on OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301.

OSHA pumps brakes on covid-19 ETS roll-out

04/29/2021

OSHA’s much-anticipated, much-dreaded emergency temporary standard on workplace covid-19 safety is on hold. Credit recent success in vaccinating more than 200 million Americans.

Vaccine incentives: What to do until EEOC acts

04/27/2021

Employers are asking the EEOC what kind of incentives they can offer to encourage employees to get vaccinated against covid-19. The commission hasn’t provided guidance yet, and won’t say when that will happen. Until official guidance appears, employers should follow two basic principles when developing vaccine incentives.