Category: Workplace Safety & Health

February 6, 2023

On December 15, 2022, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted the COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulation to replace the Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), which were set to end on December 31, 2022. On February 3, 2023, the Office […]

January 30, 2023

On January 24, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released updated guidance on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) applies to job applicants and employees with hearing disabilities. The guidance provides information about hearing conditions as a disability […]

January 27, 2023

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (“CAA”) (the $1.7 trillion government funding bill) includes provisions that provide Federal workplace protections for pregnant and nursing moms.[1] When President Biden signed the CAA on December 29, 2022, two new laws went into […]

January 20, 2023

As part of the bill funding the federal government, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act). These relatively unknown laws are important pieces of legislation carrying with […]

January 18, 2023

Because employees spend a lot of time at work, it’s not uncommon for medical emergencies and flare-ups of chronic conditions to occur at the workplace. Workers may experience events like heart attacks, hernias, fainting, asthma attacks or acute appendicitis. If […]

January 17, 2023

With the onset of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 variant, more employees are in need of time off from work this winter to recover from unfortunate illness. Below is a quick update for employers on the current state of COVID-19 paid leave […]

January 12, 2023

On December 15, 2022, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted the COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulation, which would replace the current emergency temporary standards (ETS) that were set to expire on December 31, 2022. The new COVID-19 prevention […]

January 4, 2023

New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed a law that expands breastfeeding accommodations, bringing the standards for private employers in line with those for public employers in the state. The law, signed on December 9, 2022, requires private employers to […]

December 28, 2022

On December 15, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) voted to adopt the COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations (the Non-Emergency Regulation). Once the Non-Emergency Regulation takes effect, the regulations will remain in effect for two years, except for […]

December 22, 2022

On December 12, 2022, the New York State Legislature passed a workplace safety bill known as “Carlos’ Law.” This bill, originally introduced in 2017 and named for an individual who died on a construction worksite in 2015, would amend the […]

December 19, 2022

New COVID-19 prevention regulations for California workplaces will become effective no later than January 14, 2023. The new COVID-19 Non-Emergency Prevention Standards contain significant changes as compared to the current Emergency Temporary Standards, some of which will ease the burden […]

December 14, 2022

On December 9, 2022, Governor Hochul signed legislation expanding New York’s required accommodations for breastfeeding in the workplace. New York employers were already required to provide employees with reasonable break times and to make reasonable efforts to provide a space […]

November 22, 2022

In addition to AB 152 extending COVID-19 leave through December 31, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom has also signed into law two other COVID-related bills—AB 1751 and AB2693—affecting employers’ policies regarding employees who contract COVID-19. AB 1751 has extended current law […]

November 18, 2022

Congress just passed a law Wednesday that will prevent employers from forcing victims of sexual harassment and assault to remain quiet in response to alleged abuse, requiring some businesses to alter their business practices – and serving as yet another […]

November 8, 2022

OSHA, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention July 2018 publication on Mental Health in the Workplace, has released a Safety and Health Topics bulletin addressing workplace stress and mental health hazards. According to OSHA, these workplace hazards have […]

October 31, 2022

California’s Court of Appeals recently clarified that a defendant in a petition for restraining order under California’s Workplace Violence Safety Act (WVSA) is entitled to cross-examine witnesses at the evidentiary hearing for the restraining order. Many California trial courts had […]

October 31, 2022

The Minister of Labour for Canada has announced Proposed Regulations under the Canada Labour Code. If adopted, employers will have to, among other things: Provide menstrual products, including clean and hygienic tampons and menstrual pads, in each toilet room or, […]

October 25, 2022

I live with multiple mental disorders. I’ve also held numerous leadership roles throughout my career and have been ridiculed for holding them since I went public about my mental health. Every day I am impacted by my mental health implications. […]

October 21, 2022

Many people lost a loved one in the past two years due to Covid-19. Employees, communities, companies, organizations and institutions faced severe losses in the workforce and will never be the same as we were before 2020. Despite this, many […]

October 13, 2022

As part of the recent legislative session, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1775, which implements new workplace safety training and certification requirements for entertainment events vendors who produce live events at public events venues. Specifically, any business that contracts […]