Jan 21 2021

Affirmative ActionHarassment & Discrimination  

New executive orders address diversity training, LGBTQ+ protections

President Biden has rescinded President Trump’s controversial Executive Order 13950: Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, effective immediately. As we previously reported, the order prohibited federal contractors from training employees on “divisive concepts” related to race and sex discrimination. Later we reported that a federal court issued a nationwide injunction that temporarily halted…

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Jan 07 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

WASHINGTON: State will transition to regional reopening approach

Governor Jay Inslee has announced that Washington will move from a county to a regional reopening approach during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, beginning on January 11, 2021. The “Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery” plan divides the state into eight geographic regions and initially provides for two levels of reopening: Phase 1 and Phase 2.…

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Jan 07 2021

Affirmative ActionHarassment & Discrimination  

Court halts enforcement of executive order on diversity training

A federal district court has temporarily stopped the federal government nationwide from enforcing Executive Order 13950, Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, to the extent that the order prohibits federal contractors from training their employees on “divisive concepts” related to race and sex discrimination and puts federal grantees at risk of…

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Dec 17 2020

COVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health  

EEOC addresses vaccine mandates

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has added a new section to its FAQs on COVID-19 (coronavirus) to address the degree to which employers can require workers to be vaccinated. The publication, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws,” addresses considerations under the…

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Dec 02 2020

COVID-19Safety and Health  

CALIFORNIA: Emergency COVID-19 safety rule effective now

California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has approved a statewide emergency workplace safety regulation addressing COVID-19 (coronavirus), established by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The approved rule took effect immediately, on November 30, 2020, and will remain in effect until October 2, 2021, according to the Board’s webpage for emergency rulemaking on COVID-19…

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Nov 19 2020

COVID-19Safety and Health  

CALIFORNIA: Safety board is considering COVID-19 standard

California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board met today to consider a proposed statewide emergency workplace safety regulation addressing COVID-19 (coronavirus). We’re awaiting word on whether the Board approved it. If it’s approved, the Board will submit the proposal to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL), which will have ten calendar days to review…

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Nov 19 2020

Affirmative ActionHarassment & Discrimination  

OFCCP busier than ever as 2020 draws to a close

Federal contractors, take note: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) isn't slowing down in publishing new regulatory and enforcement initiatives, in addition to its ongoing affirmative action enforcement work. Recent agency actions include: Publishing a final regulation capturing the process for resolving allegations of discrimination in an affirmative action audit.…

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Sep 08 2020

COVID-19  

Homeland Security extends H-2A ability to switch employers

To prevent potential food shortages related to COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Department of Homeland Security has extended its authorization for foreign temporary and seasonal agricultural workers validly in the United States in H-2A status to switch employers as soon as the new employer submits its own H-2A petition. The workers therefore don’t have…

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Jul 01 2020

COVID-19Safety and Health  

ALERT: Understand face covering requirements in your area

Understand face covering requirements in your area Vigilant members have been asking how recent face covering mandates to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) apply to their businesses, so below is a summary of the general requirements in our member states. California, Oregon, and Washington have statewide face covering mandates.…

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Jun 18 2020

COVID-19Safety and Health  

Podcast available on preventing heat illness

Vigilant’s safety team has released an 18-minute podcast on Heat-Related Illness/Heat Stress. This is the time of year when it can strike workers who are unprepared and don’t have adequate shade, water, rest time, and cooling stations to keep their body temperature within acceptable limits. It’s critical to establish a written heat illness…

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