By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposal to reconsider or revoke Arizona’s State OSHA plan, which may lead to federal OSHA takeover regulation of private employers in the state. 87 FR 23783 (4/21/22).
By Adam R. Young, Bradley D. Doucette, Bailey G. Green, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowsy driving is not just a major problem in the United States, it is a public health crisis. “Drowsy driving is the dangerous combination of driving and sleepiness or fatigue.
Continue Reading Enter Sandman: Sleep and Occupational Safety at the Wheel
By Benjamin D. Briggs, A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: CDC’s new COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation calculator “takes the stress out of deciding when, and for how long, individuals with COVID-19 and close contacts need to stay home, get tested, and wear a well-fitting mask.”
The new CDC calculator may
Continue Reading CDC Publishes New Quarantine and Isolation Calculator
By: James L. Curtis, Patrick D. Joyce, Adam R. Young, Melissa Ortega, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On Friday, February 25, 2022, the CDC significantly eased COVID-19 mask guidelines. The new guidelines are based on COVID-19 community levels.
As the COVID-19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant began to retreat, many states eased or planned
Continue Reading CDC Eases Pandemic Mask Guidelines
By Melissa A. Ortega, Bradley D. Doucette, Brent I. Clark, Benjamin D. Briggs, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, A. Scott Hecker
Seyfarth Synopsis: In an unusual special session, on January 7, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding OSHA’s Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which requires employers with
Continue Reading Supreme Court Special Session – The U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments on the OSHA COVID-19 ETS
By Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, Matthew A. Sloan, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of fatal work injuries in 2020 was the lowest since 2013.
There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020, a 10.7% decrease from 5,333
Continue Reading New BLS Data Show Major Hazards Causing Occupational Fatalities in 2020
By: Adam Young, Matthew A. Sloan, and Ilana R. Morady
Seyfarth Synopsis: The CDC’s shorter isolation and quarantine requirements will allow employers to get many COVID-19 positive employees and exposed, unvaccinated employees back to work 5 days sooner.
On December 28, 2021, the CDC shortened the recommended isolation period for all persons with COVID-19. Under the revised
Continue Reading CDC Amends Isolation and Quarantine Requirements for COVID-19 Amid Spread of Omicron Variant.
By: Adam Young, James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, Patrick D. Joyce, and A. Scott Hecker
Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 7, 2022, in an extraordinary open session, the Supreme Court will reconsider the dissolved stay of the OSHA ETS, as well as the injunctions blocking the CMS healthcare vaccination mandate in
Continue Reading Supreme Court Will Hold Special Session on OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS, as well as Healthcare CMS Vaccination Mandate
By A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, and Patrick D. Joyce
Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 17, 2021, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolved its sister Fifth Circuit’s stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard in a 2-1 order. Shortly thereafter, OSHA
Continue Reading OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS Revived as Sixth Circuit Dissolves Stay
By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor Tweeted and blogged about the safety of workers during the busy holiday season, indicating an area of potential enforcement for OSHA in the coming weeks.
Unsurprisingly, OSHA has targeted workplace
Continue Reading Ho, Ho, Health and Safety! Keeping Workers Safe and Merry this Holiday Season