Law and the Workplace

Tag Archives: OSHA

New York Court Dismisses Amazon Workers’ COVID-19 Health and Safety Claims

By Evandro Gigante, Arielle E. Kobetz and Heylee Bernstein on Posted in Coronavirus, Litigation and Arbitration, Workplace Policies and Procedures, Workplace Safety
*** UPDATE: On November 24, 2020, the Plaintiffs in Palmer, et al. v. Amazon.Com, Inc., et al. filed a notice of appeal. The Plaintiffs appealed Judge Cogan’s order dismissing the case to the Second Circuit. We will continue to monitor this case and provide updates. *** On November 2, 2020, the Eastern District of New … Continue Reading

OSHA Issues Second Set of Coronavirus-Related Citations

By Harris Mufson and Lexie Reynolds on Posted in Coronavirus, Workplace Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has now issued its second set of coronavirus-related citations, this time against an Ohio health-care company.  OSHA inspected three of the company’s nursing facilities from April to June after the company reported the coronavirus-related hospitalization of seven employees.  On July 21, 2020, OSHA announced … Continue Reading

OSHA Releases Additional FAQs Regarding Returning to the Workplace: What Employers Need to Know

By Harris Mufson, Lexie Reynolds and Heylee Bernstein on Posted in Coronavirus, Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published additional frequently asked questions regarding returning to the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday. We reported on OSHA’s earlier posted FAQs here. Though the FAQs do not impose any new legal requirements, employers should be aware of OSHA’s recommendations as workplaces around the country continue to … Continue Reading

OSHA Releases Guidance on Reopening Workplaces

By Harris Mufson, Lexie Reynolds and Heylee Bernstein on Posted in Coronavirus, Workplace Safety
On June 18, OSHA issued non-binding guidance to help employers safely reopen non-essential businesses and facilitate their employees’ return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance focuses on employers implementing strategies for five main aspects of the workplace: basic hygiene, social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee … Continue Reading

Top Three Takeaways from OSHA Chief’s Testimony Regarding OSHA Enforcement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Harris Mufson, Alex Downie and Lexie Reynolds on Posted in Coronavirus, Workplace Safety
OSHA logoAmid growing criticism of the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Loren E. Sweatt (“Sweatt”), testified before the House Education and Labor Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee last Wednesday during which she defended the agency’s actions to protect worker safety during the pandemic. Below, we discuss the top three takeaways from … Continue Reading

OSHA Updates Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Recordkeeping Requirements

By Harris Mufson, Arielle E. Kobetz, Caroline Guensberg and Scott Tan on Posted in Coronavirus, Workplace Safety
OSHA logoOn May 19, 2020, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued a memorandum updating previous guidance regarding employers’ obligation to record cases of COVID-19 in the workplace. On May 26, 2020, the previous guidance will be rescinded and OSHA’s updated guidance will go into effect, the key provisions of which are … Continue Reading

Coronavirus and the Workplace: What Employers Need To Know

By Evandro Gigante, Guy Brenner, Laura Fant, Nayirie K. Mehdikhani and Alex Downie on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Coronavirus, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Workplace Policies and Procedures, Workplace Safety
Coronovirus*** Last Updated: March 13, 2020 *** News that cases of the newly-identified 2019 Novel Coronavirus (also referred to as COVID-19, 2019-nCoV, or SARS-CoV-2, but more commonly known simply as the “Coronavirus”) continue to spread has prompted employers to think about employee safety and ways to address prevention in the workplace, as well as planning … Continue Reading

Federal Court Denies Motion For Preliminary Injunction Of Anti-Retaliation Provisions of OSHA Reporting Rule

By Steven Hurd and Daniel Davis on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
Yesterday, a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction filed by several businesses and business groups regarding the anti-retaliation portion of OSHA’s final rule regarding injury and illness reporting.  As previously discussed in this blog, the final rule generally requires employers to submit certain injury and illness information electronically.  The final rule also enhances anti-retaliation protections … Continue Reading

OSHA Issues Final Rule Regarding Injury and Illness Reporting

By Steven Hurd and Daniel Davis on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
Yesterday, OSHA issued its long-anticipated final rule regarding injury and illness reporting. The final rule generally requires employers to submit electronically certain injury and illness information. OSHA will place that information on an online searchable database. The final rule also enhances anti-retaliation protections regarding reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace. OSHA originally proposed the rule in 2013. The proposed … Continue Reading

Addressing and Preventing Workplace Violence

By Katharine Parker and Rachel Fischer on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
The subject of workplace violence has unfortunately made headlines once again after a news anchor and cameraman were killed by a former co-worker in Virginia last week. Employers are understandably concerned and have questions about what they can do to help prevent workplace violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires employers to maintain … Continue Reading

New News on Ebola May Require Changes in Employer Procedures

By Katharine Parker on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
New news reports on Ebola, both about the epidemic in West Africa and new details about the health care workers in Dallas who have been infected, have heightened employer concerns.  Today Andrew Morse of the Wall Street Journal reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) is predicting that as many as 10,000 new cases a week … Continue Reading

Protecting Healthcare and Other Employees From Ebola

By Katharine Parker, Herschel Goldfield and Richard Zall on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
News that a  U.S. based health-care worker in Dallas has contracted Ebola while caring for a patient with the disease has raised questions about the protections that health care facilities and other employers must provide for workers who might be exposed to Ebola.  I asked my health care law colleagues Herschel Goldfield, Senior Counsel in Proskauer’s … Continue Reading
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