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After the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) on mandatory COVID-19 vaccines on November 4, 2021, a number of lawsuits were filed challenging the agency’s ability to enforce the rule. After the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the cases (or put them on hold), the 6th Circuit […]
On November 12, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 22-page order extending a “stay” to keep the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from enforcing its new COVID-19 vaccine-or-testing rule “pending adequate judicial review of the petitioners’ underlying motions for a permanent injunction.” Opponents of OSHA’s emergency temporary […]
Whether an employee’s COVID-19 vaccination status is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been (or should be) on the minds of all HR personnel as of late. That’s especially true as we await the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) impending rule that will likely require employers with 100 or more employees […]
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.
On September 1, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a memorandum establishing a new enforcement initiative to prevent and protect employees from heat-related severe illnesses and deaths while working in hazardous hot indoor or outdoor environments.
The season may have changed to fall, but the punishing summer heat can be expected to linger longer in many places around the country. Plus, indoor workplaces often pose heat risks year-round. That’s why the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced new measures aimed at reducing heat dangers in workplaces. NEP and […]
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 March 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a national emphasis program (NEP) to focus its enforcement efforts on preventing employees from contracting COVID-19 and protecting those who report unsafe working conditions. In general, an NEP is a method by which OSHA temporarily focuses its resources on a specific danger or […]
New guidance for employers related to COVID-19 doesn’t create new mandatory standards, but the tone of the guidance is a signal from the Biden administration of more support for enforcement, according to attorneys focusing on workplace safety issues.
As a follow-up to its May 2020 enforcement guidelines on recording workplace COVID-19 cases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued additional guidance to employers for reporting coronavirus-related hospitalizations and fatalities.