Washington Governor Jay Inslee has further extended employment protections for medically vulnerable workers for as long as the current state of emergency lasts due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). In addition, the new proclamation (20-46.2) and accompanying guidance memo clarify who is protected and change the circumstances under which employers may request…
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to make significant changes in its recommendations regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) as new information becomes available. The list of possible COVID-19 symptoms has been updated to include congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. We previously reported on the agency’s expanded list…
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The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has issued new fall protection rules, which better align L&I’s rules with federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and unify fall protection rules across all industries. Currently, Washington doesn’t have specific guidelines for the use of fall protection for general industry (which would…
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According to recently updated guidance from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers must report (not just record) any worker’s inpatient hospitalization for care or treatment of a confirmed, work-related case of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Generally, federal regulations require employers to report inpatient hospitalizations for work-related illnesses within 24 hours of…
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In response to the sharp rise in COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases and hospitalizations, California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a statewide closure of some indoor businesses and county-specific restrictions on others. Affected statewide industries include indoor operations of dine-in restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums,…
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Governor Jay Inslee recently issued two proclamations (20-25.5 and 20-25.6), extending Safe Start until August 6, 2020, expanding face covering requirements, and requiring Washington employers to report confirmed or suspected COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases. Although the public has been required to wear face coverings in almost all situations since June 26,…
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Question: We know that all employees in Washington must wear a cloth face covering except when working alone in an office, vehicle, or at a job site. What does it mean to be “working alone”? As long as employees stay at least six feet apart from each other, does that mean they’re…
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Question: We’re requiring employees, contractors, and visitors to our facility to provide their temperatures and answer health screening questions. Do we have to keep records of the answers, and if so, for how long? Answer: There’s no legal obligation to create a written record of actual temperatures or answers to a health screening…
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Governor Doug Ducey recently issued two executive orders, Executive Order 2020-40 (June 17, 2020) and Executive Order 2020-43 (June 29, 2020), to help limit and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Some of the key elements of these orders that are important to most employers include: Directing businesses to assist in containing the…
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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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