Safety/Health

Complicated vaccine questions for employers

12/21/2020

As COVID vaccines become more widely available in the coming months, employers have big questions to answer: Should they require it for all employees? What if employees refuse? Are the vaccines covered cost-free under your group health plan?

Limit covid by addressing off-duty behavior

12/17/2020

Here’s what you can and cannot do to get your workforce safely through the holiday season without catching the coronavirus.

OSHA’s coronavirus-related fines pass $3.5 million since March

12/15/2020

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations arising from 263 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in penalties totaling $3,504,345.

CDC offers employer resources to address covid-rage incidents

12/15/2020

News reports regularly feature accounts of low-wage retail and restaurant employees being assaulted by customers who object to being told to put on a mask or leave. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published a web page of advice to help employers counter that threat.

CDC urges masking, relaxes quarantine rules

12/03/2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging everyone to wear cloth facemasks indoors when they are not at home and has revised its recommendations for quarantining some workers.

Class-action claims bias in coronavirus response

11/25/2020

As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in workplaces, a trickle of lawsuits that began in the spring has turned into a raging torrent. Lawyers are finding novel ways to litigate safety decisions employers made months ago, before the impact of the virus was as well understood as it is now.

Biden to push enforceable OSHA covid rules

11/25/2020

President-elect Joe Biden has said bringing the coronavirus under control is his Day One priority when he takes office on Jan. 20. A flood of coronavirus-related initiatives is likely to immediately follow. Here is what to expect.

CDC research: Telecommuting really does help prevent covid-19

11/24/2020

Employees who worked exclusively in an office setting between March and July 2020 were twice as likely to contract covid-19 as those who worked from home.

Snapshot: What employers are doing to promote coronavirus safety

11/24/2020

Most employers have implemented these measures to ensure employee safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

OSHA’s COVID crackdown tool: ‘General Duty Clause’

11/19/2020

You may be surprised to learn that while OSHA has a lot to say about workplace safety during the pandemic, the agency lacks any specific standards covering infectious diseases or viral prevention at work. Instead, OSHA exercises its COVID-19 authority under what’s known as its “General Duty Clause.”