Showing 5 posts in CDC.

Reacting to COVID-19 Delta Variant Outbreaks, OSHA Issues Updated Guidance

The Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) issued updated guidance on August 13, 2021, to assist employers in protecting workers who are unvaccinated or otherwise at risk of contracting the virus. The guidance consists primarily of recommendations and seeks to align its approach with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). CDC and OSHA guidance interact, but Employers have a specific legal obligation under OSHA to provide a safe and healthy workplace free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. More ›

Frequently Asked Questions About the Latest CDC COVID-19 Guidance

While helpful to individuals, the new guidance issued recently by the Center for Disease Control raises more unanswered questions for employers preparing or implementing return-to-work strategies. In an advisory published on Hinshaw's website, we review these questions, and provide analysis.

As COVID-19 Cases Increase, States Adopt Workplace Standards and Emergency Ordinances

With over 40 states showing a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, the novel coronavirus remains top of mind for employers throughout the U.S. Numerous state and federal measures have been—and continue to be—enacted in response to the pandemic. We explore some of these recent policies and their impact on employers below. More ›

CDC Issues Guidance That Serological Testing of Employees Violates ADA

As more states are reopening and employees are returning to work, some employers will be considering testing employees for COVID-19 before allowing them to return to the workplace. In a prior post, we wrote about guidance from the EEOC that states that employers may test employees before returning to work as long as the testing complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We also wrote about the various types of COVID-19 testing available, including serological testing and diagnostic testing. Serological testing looks for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, while diagnostic testing checks for the presence of the COVID-19 virus itself. More ›

CDC Guidance Establishes the Bar for Workplace Safety and OSH Act Compliance Related to COVID-19

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have had to keep abreast of evolving or incomplete government guidance, all while trying to discern for themselves the most prudent way to handle employee leaves, pay, workload, and safety.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have now worked together to produce a "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19." This guidance is explicitly "advisory in nature" and "informational in content," and "not a standard or a regulation." Nevertheless, the guidance provides helpful information about how the agencies view the methodology of COVID-19 transmission, exposure risks and classifying worker exposure, and what to do to protect workers. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provided similar advice in an April workplace poster. Efforts addressed include personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering controls (e.g. barriers), and administrative controls (e.g. monitoring, training, flexible hours, or telework). More ›