By Adam R. Young, Daniel R. Birnbaum, A. Scott Hecker, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: With concerns of infectious disease at the forefront of workplace health and safety in the past several years, and with the traditional flu and cold season upon us, OSHA has reminded the regulated community to prevent the
Continue Reading With Flu Season Upon Us, OSHA Signals That Employers Should Continue To Encourage Vaccination For Their WorkforcesBy A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 7, 2022, OSHA submitted its “Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings” standard to the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (“OIRA”) for final review.
OSHA published a flowchart
Continue Reading Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News: OSHA Moving Forward with COVID-19 Healthcare Permanent StandardBy Adam R. Young, Melissa A. Ortega, A. Scott Hecker, James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Benjamin D. Briggs, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 11, 2022, the CDC, through a press release, eased its COVID-19 guidance to “help us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer
Continue Reading CDC Eases COVID-19 Guidelines
By Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, Patrick D. Joyce, Mark A. Lies, II, James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The WHO and the CDC issued statements and FAQs on the monkeypox disease, declaring the disease a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
On July 23, 2022, the
Continue Reading WHO Declares Monkeypox Disease a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
By Adam R. Young, Brent I. Clark, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Federal OSHA is rolling out an aggressive COVID-19 enforcement program to inspect “high hazard” employers, as well as re-inspect those healthcare employers who have received COVID-19 complaints in the past.
In March 2022 at the ABA OSHA conference, OSHA enforcement leadership publicly declared the “COVID-19
Continue Reading COVID-19 “Endemic” is Not Over: OSHA is Opening New COVID-19 Programmed Inspections
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 Benjamin D. Briggs, Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reopened its rulemaking record and scheduled an informal public hearing to seek comments on specific topics that relate to the development of a permanent OSHA standard to protect healthcare and healthcare support
Continue Reading Rulemaking Continues on New OSHA COVID-19 Permanent Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers
By James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, Adam Young, Patrick D. Joyce, A. Scott Hecker, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that “U.S. healthcare workers experienced a staggering 249 percent increase in injury and illness rates in 2020, based on employer-reported data, as
Continue Reading OSHA To Address Soaring Injury Rates at Healthcare Facilities
By Adam R. Young, Melissa A. Ortega, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On October 28, 2021, an amendment to the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act passed the Illinois General Assembly and made its way to Governor Pritzker’s desk. The amendment creates a COVID-19 carve-out, but it will not go into effect until June 1,
Continue Reading A Swing and a Miss: Right to Conscience Objections to COVID-19 Vaccinations to Endure Until June 2022
By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Labelling the Delta-variant surge as the “Pandemic of the Unvaccinated,” on August 26, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Prtizker announced that Illinois residents must wear masks indoors, and that school and health care staff must be vaccinated.
Cook County and the City of Chicago both had
Continue Reading Illinois Governor Announces Mask Mandate for All Indoor Settings, Regardless of Vaccination