Jun 17 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

WASHINGTON: Industry-specific COVID-19 requirements lifted

As of June 11, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee has removed Washington’s industry-specific COVID-19 (coronavirus) requirements for certain industries, including manufacturing, construction, outdoor maintenance, and several recreation industries. Employers in these industries are now only required to follow the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) general COVID-19 workplace safety requirements. L&I’s general requirements were…

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Jun 17 2021

COVID-19Safety and HealthWage and Hour  

CALIFORNIA: Cal/OSHA proposes changes to COVID-19 rules

June 17, 2021, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board (OSHSB) approved revisions to Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for non-health care workplaces. (We summarized the original ETS here and reported on the related FAQs here.) The OSHSB will now send the proposal to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL)…

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Jun 17 2021

COVID-19Safety and HealthWage and Hour  

OSHA issues COVID-19 workplace rule for health care employers

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released an emergency temporary rule to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) for employers that provide health care services. The new rule applies to most employers that provide health care services or health care support services. OSHA has published a helpful…

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Jun 03 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

CALIFORNIA: Santa Clara County says to check vaccination status

On May 18, 2021, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department issued an order that requires businesses in the county to check all workers’ COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccination status. The order took effect on May 19, 2021. For anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated, you must check back at least every 14 days to see if…

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Jun 03 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

WASHINGTON: Worker housing rules updated for vaccinated occupants

On May 28, 2021, Washington's Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health updated the existing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry to lift certain restrictions for fully vaccinated workers. These revisions coincide with updated agriculture workplace requirements issued by Governor Jay Inslee, adding exceptions for fully vaccinated…

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Jun 03 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

Q&A: Understand vaccine exceptions to quarantine requirements

Question: If our state is “reopened” for business, do we still have to comply with quarantine requirements after an employee is exposed to someone with COVID-19 (coronavirus)? What if the employee is fully vaccinated? Answer: The lifting of restrictions on businesses’ ability to operate is separate from your obligation as an employer to comply with…

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Jun 03 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

OSHA won’t require recording vaccine side effects after all

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently updated its guidance on COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines to state that it won’t enforce recordkeeping requirements for worker side effects from mandatory vaccines through May 2022. As we previously reported, OSHA had stated that side effects resulting from employer-mandated COVID-19 vaccines may be…

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May 24 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

WASHINGTON: New mask options for fully vaccinated workers

On May 21, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced new workplace mask options in line with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s May 13, 2021, guidance, which said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (coronavirus) generally don’t need to wear masks or physically…

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May 20 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

NAM’s yellow and red ribbon pins show who’s fully vaccinated

Looking for a visible way employees can show they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (coronavirus)? The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is sponsoring the production of lapel pins showing entwined yellow and red ribbons. The web page for NAM’s Yellow and Red Ribbon Initiative includes sample posters and emails for employers to encourage…

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May 20 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

CALIFORNIA: Cal/OSHA to revise proposal on masks and vaccines

According to news reports, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board (OSHSB) will delay consideration of revisions to Cal/OSHA's COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for non-health care workplaces until Cal/OSHA has an opportunity to consider the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)'s relaxed mask guidance for fully vaccinated workers. The OSHSB was scheduled to consider…

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