On August 11, 2022, the CDC issued new guidance regarding isolation and masking for individuals exposed to COVID-19. According to the CDC, high levels of immunity and the availability of COVID-19 prevention and management tools have reduced the risk for medically significant illness. While employers still must traverse through the complicated web of COVID-19 mitigation
Workplace Compliance
Allegheny County Paid Sick Leave Ordinance – Take Two
In January, we wrote about Allegheny County’s paid sick leave regulations that took effect in December 2021. Now, we write to tell you that the regulations have changed. The change will affect only one key industry – construction.
When the Allegheny County Board of Health drafted its paid sick leave regulations, it clearly modeled them…
Supreme Court Blocks OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination or Test ETS, Allows Separate Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers to Take Effect
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued hotly anticipated decisions on two federal government vaccine requirements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 6-3 decision, the Court blocked the Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) that required employees of larger employers (i.e., those…
Allegheny County’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Takes Effect
Allegheny County recently enacted an ordinance requiring paid sick leave for covered employees (joining the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which already have paid sick leave ordinances on the books). The ordinance took effect on December 15, and requires certain employees be given 40 hours of annual paid leave for a variety of reasons, including…
Sixth Circuit Dissolves Stay of OSHA ETS, Permitting OSHA to Resume Implementation of ETS
On December 17, 2021, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolved the stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) that had previously been issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We summarized the…
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors is Now Blocked Nationwide
Last week, we shared that a federal district court in Kentucky issued a preliminary injunction blocking the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors in all covered contracts in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. See Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Biden, No. 3:21-cv-00055 (E.D. Ky. Nov. 30, 2021).
Yesterday, a federal district court…
Sixth Circuit Selected to Hear Consolidated Challenge to OSHA ETS, after the Fifth Circuit Issues a Stay
On November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published its much-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) requiring, among other things, that most employees of companies with 100 or more employees submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering while at work indoors. We summarized the ETS in…
OSHA Issues Emergency Standards for COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in the Workplace
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) issued its much-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) imposing requirements pertaining to vaccinations, testing and face coverings on private employers throughout the country.
Which businesses does the ETS apply to? The ETS applies to employers with 100 or more employees, including…
Task Force Issues Details for Federal Contractors on Vaccine and Safety Requirements
On Friday, September 24, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued new guidance on COVID-19 vaccination requirements and other workplace safety protocols for covered federal government contractors, as required under Executive Order 14042. Beginning on October 15, 2021, all agencies will be required to add a clause to all covered Federal procurement solicitations and…
New qualifying conditions, telemedicine visits and 90-day supplies . . . revisions to the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act.
This week, Governor Wolf signed House Bill 1024, allowing certain revisions to the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (the “Act”). While the revisions do not specifically implicate the workplace, and do not provide guidance to employers on navigating medical marijuana use by employees, employers should, nonetheless, pay attention.
What changed?
House Bill 1024 makes permanent three…