Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
For now, California employers are beholden to state and local COVID-19 requirements as well as Cal/OSHA’s infamous COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The ETS are set to expire on January 14, 2022. However, Cal/OSHA has recently released a draft of a semi-permanent standard for COVID-19.
The current proposal would create a COVID-19 standard that…
After the announcement of President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan, employers across the country, including California started to consider how to implement vaccination and testing requirements, even ahead of clear guidance from the federal government.
California already has its own Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) which were amended in June by Cal/OSHA. However, currently, the California…
On May 18, 2021, Santa Clara County ordered businesses to track employee’s COVID-19 vaccination status. This Order departed largely from the prior County Orders as well as the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy. However, in conjunction with the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (commonly known as Cal/OSHA),…
The simple answer is Cal/OSHA has not clarified if the 30-year retention rule is triggered by requirements of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS).
Pursuant to Cal/OSHA’s amended ETS employers are required to document the vaccination status of their employees if the employer intends to allow vaccinated employees to work without a face covering or…
The last few weeks have been quite tense for California employers as they watched the drama unfold with the state’s Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) over amendments to the standing COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”)
In case you missed it: a few weeks ago, Cal/OSHA delayed a vote on…
In an emergency meeting on June 9th, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board reversed itself and voted to withdraw the amended COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) it had just approved on June 3rd. As such, employers will remain governed by the ETS that was passed in November 2020.
The emergency meeting was held so…
On May 20, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board (“Board”) delayed a vote on proposed changes to the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”). At that time, the Board claimed they would revise the ETS to address updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) for fully vaccinated persons. However, the revised ETS passed…
Since California announced plans for “preparing to get back to normal,” many California employers have eyed California’s reopening date of June 15th as the date they can return to the office or resume normal operations. But even though it is clear California wants to reopen the economy, California employers that are preparing their return…
On May 20th, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board was set to vote on revisions to COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”).
The evening before the vote the Deputy Chief for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Division”) submitted a request that the Standards Board not to vote on proposed revisions and instead allow the…
On May 13th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. The new guidance identified circumstances in which fully vaccinated individuals do not have to wear face coverings, including indoors. However, fully vaccinated individuals must still comply with federal, state, local, or workplace guidance for face coverings. Earlier in…
