Archive for October 2020

As states and municipalities reopen — and perhaps close and reopen again — more and more businesses are reviving in-person operations, leaving employers to confront myriad state and local requirements, industry-specific guidelines, and commonsense health practices to operate a business in a post-COVID-19 world, according to Law360. A thorough return-to-work strategy addresses at least one aspect…

Rates of Covid-19 among dentists were low in the late spring as dental practices reopened and patients returned, a report published by the American Dental Association suggests. Researchers conducted a nationwide survey June 8 with responses from more than 2,000 dentists from across the country. Just 0.9 percent, they found, had either confirmed or probable cases of…

OSHA issued temporary guidance on enforcement of initial and annual fit-testing requirements in the respiratory protection standard for powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs). Enforcement discretion is limited to healthcare personnel or other workers engaged in high- or very high-exposure-risk activities. OSHA instructed compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) to exercise discretion in response to ongoing respirator shortages…

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) analyzed data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from April to early August and found more than 1,700 workers filed complaints, saying their employers retaliated against them for raising coronavirus safety concerns. NELP says it has heard from workers who asked for masks and were fired. More…

By a narrow 214-207 margin, House Democrats passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill called the HEROES Act, 2.0, essentially a slimmer version of the $3 trillion HEROES Act that was passed in May and blocked by Republicans due to the cost. As states and businesses begin opening in a modified manner, the HEROES Act would set national…