Home » Blog » COVID-19 » Page 6

Vigilant Blog

News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp

Showing posts for: COVID-19

Nov 04 2021
COVID-19CaliforniaSafety and Health

Cal/OSHA updates FAQs on quarantine for unvaccinated workers

Cal/OSHA recently updated the FAQs for its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to allow a shortened quarantine period for unvaccinated workers who are exposed to the virus. The ETS, which took effect on June 17, 2021, requires most unvaccinated workers who are exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus) to quarantine for at least 10 days to see…

Read More
Nov 04 2021
COVID-19California

CALIFORNIA: Health care vaccine mandate expands to more workers

On September 28, 2021, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued an order expanding mandatory COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines in the health care industry to include workers in adult and senior care facilities and in-home direct care settings. The order, Adult Care Facilities and Direct Care Worker Vaccine Requirement, says these workers must receive their final…

Read More
Nov 04 2021
COVID-19DisabilityLeave Laws

ALERT: OSHA releases vaccine mandate for employers with 100+ workers

November 4, 2021 OSHA announced its long-awaited COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), directing employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated or else submit to weekly testing. The official rule will be effective immediately upon its publication on November 5, 2021, but covered employers will have 30 days (i.e., until…

Read More
Oct 21 2021
COVID-19Safety and Health

Still waiting on federal OSHA COVID-19 ETS

According to news reports, federal OSHA submitted its draft COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency temporary standard (ETS) to the Office of Management and Budget on October 12, 2021. As we previously reported, President Biden ordered OSHA to draft the ETS, requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure workers are vaccinated or tested regularly for COVID-19….

Read More
Oct 21 2021
COVID-19DisabilityPrivacy & Confidentiality

Q&A: HIPAA doesn’t apply to employee information

Question: We implemented a mandatory COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine policy for all employees. Some employees are refusing to produce proof of vaccination status because they believe they have the right to refuse under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We’re a private employer operating a manufacturing facility. Does HIPAA apply to us? Answer: No….

Read More
Oct 07 2021
COVID-19Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: 5th update to COVID-19 temporary worker housing rules

On September 24, 2021, Washington’s Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health made very minor updates to the existing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry to align with Governor Inslee’s current “Washington Ready” Proclamation (20-25.17). As a reminder, as of the end of June the agriculture industry no longer has its…

Read More
Oct 07 2021
COVID-19Leave Laws

Voluntary FFCRA and associated tax credits end

As of September 30, 2021, tax credits are no longer available for employers who have been voluntarily complying with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) since the beginning of the year. In March 2020, former President Trump signed the FFCRA, which required employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide Emergency Family and Medical…

Read More
Sep 28 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19Harassment & Discrimination

ALERT: Guidance released on federal contractor vaccine mandate

On September 24, 2021, the Biden administration released guidance on the new vaccine mandate for federal contractors, entitled COVID-19 Workplace Safety Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors. The new guidance implements Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors, issued by President Biden on September 9, 2021. The executive order directed the…

Read More
Sep 16 2021
COVID-19Employee BenefitsLeave Laws

OREGON: Health care workers get paid leave for COVID-19 exposure

Oregon OSHA has published a temporary rule that requires employers with 11 or more employees to pay their health care workers who take time off to quarantine or isolate after a work-related exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus). This rule on “medical relief benefits” (also referred to as “medical removal protection benefits”) is effective from September 16,…

Read More
Sep 14 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19Disability

ALERT: Do federal vaccine mandates apply to your organization?

President Biden announced three different federal COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandates on September 9, 2021, which may potentially affect Vigilant members. Many details have yet to be released, but here’s a summary of what we know at this point: Employers with 100 or more employees: The President is directing federal OSHA to draft an emergency temporary…

Read More
Sep 02 2021
COVID-19OregonSafety and Health

OREGON: Rules for outdoor mask mandate published

On August 27, 2021, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) published temporary regulations requiring masks to be worn outdoors as well as indoors, with limited exceptions, effective immediately. The new rules incorporate and replace the existing indoor mask requirements that we previously reported here. The added outdoor mask mandate says that regardless of vaccination against COVID-19…

Read More
Sep 02 2021
COVID-19

Form I-9 remote inspection extended again, until December 31, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security 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 eleventh extension of the relaxed standard, which will now expire on December 31, 2021. As we originally reported, Homeland Security relaxed the requirement for…

Read More

Is My Company Eligible?

If you are a manufacturing or agriculture employer in Washington and committed to keeping your employees safe and working, you may be eligible for Vigilant's workers' compensation Retro or claims management programs. To see if you qualify fill out our release form now, or contact us.

Release Form
Contact Us
Browse By Category
Browse By Topic
Filter By State
Get Our Newsletter
Sign Up Today
Connect With Us
Linkedin

Don’t Navigate Employment Issues On Your Own

Learn how Vigilant membership can help with your complex employment situations.
Get in Touch Today
Scroll to Top