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News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp
Jan
06
2022
OREGON: COVID-19 workplace rules modified and loosened
On December 21, 2021, Oregon OSHA adopted minor changes to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) rules for all indoor workplaces as well as for employer-provided labor housing. They took effect immediately. Changes to the rules for all Oregon workplaces include the following: Physical distancing requirements have been eliminated, except in health care and…
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Jan
06
2022
CALIFORNIA: February 1 booster deadline for health care workers
Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced new COVID-19 (coronavirus) booster requirements, calling for health care workers and all employees in high-risk congregate settings, including nursing homes, to receive their vaccine booster shots by February 1, 2022. In the meantime, health care workers who haven’t yet received their boosters must test twice weekly. The…
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Jan
06
2022
Federal contractor vaccine mandate still on hold
We previously reported that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandate for certain federal contractors is on hold nationwide, and that remains the case. Lawsuits filed in federal district courts are slowly working their way through the legal system, but so far, no court has reinstated the mandate. Tips: As reported elsewhere in today’s…
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Jan
06
2022
Form I-9 remote inspection extended again, until April 30, 2022
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has again extended its temporary relaxation of the standards for physically inspecting a new worker’s employment eligibility documents when completing the Form I-9. This is the twelfth extension of the relaxed standard, which will now expire on April 30, 2022. As we originally reported, DHS relaxed the requirement for employers operating…
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Jan
06
2022
Health care employers’ COVID-19 obligations are shifting
Employers in the health care industry need to be aware of two important developments in federal COVID-19 (coronavirus) rules: (1) the establishment of new compliance deadlines for health care employers in the 25 states that didn’t file lawsuits over the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate and (2) the…
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Jan
06
2022
OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS timelines clarified
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over the OSHA COVID-19 (coronavirus) Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees on January 7, 2022. The ETS requires covered employers to ensure that workers who aren’t fully vaccinated are tested at least weekly for COVID-19. We…
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Jan
06
2022
CDC shortens COVID-19 isolation and quarantine periods
On December 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced shortened isolation and quarantine periods for individuals who contract or are exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The agency received some pushback, so it published additional details on its Quarantine and Isolation web page (updated January 4, 2022). Isolation after…
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Jan
06
2022
“Ban the box” restrictions apply to new federal contracts
Federal contractors must wait to ask applicants about criminal convictions until making a conditional job offer, beginning with any federal contracts resulting from solicitations issued after December 20, 2021. We previously reported on the federal law that established this “ban the box” requirement for federal contractors. It's part of the “Fair Chance to Compete…
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Dec
20
2021
OSHA vaccine mandate is back on for employers with 100+ employees
On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the preliminary legal hold on the OSHA COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency temporary standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees. This means that OSHA’s regulation requiring employees of covered employers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing is…
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Dec
16
2021
CMS vaccine mandate back in effect for states that didn’t sue
On December 15, 2021, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that reinstates the COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandate by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in states that didn’t participate in lawsuits challenging the mandate. As a result, many health care employers in California, Oregon, and…
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