The Library

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released technical guidance in addition to what was most recently released on April 9. Today, the EEOC added 10 questions and answers, several of which involve guidance on employees returning to work. We anticipate the EEOC will continue to periodically update this guidance. The full technical guidance can be found here. Several points of significance: D.5 & 6 Employers may ask for medical documentation. If an employee requests an accommodation for a medical condition, the employer may still ask questions of the employee or request medical documentation to determine whether the employee has a […]

Employers across Virginia are concerned about protecting their employees from exposure to coronavirus infection and COVID-19 illness. Many are also asking what they can do to minimize their risk of facing a VOSH citation for failing to protect their employees from such exposure. Although there is no specific standard that OSHA has adopted concerning coronavirus exposure, failing to take reasonable steps to protect employees could be the basis of a “General Duty Clause” violation. At a minimum, employers should develop and implement infectious disease preparedness response plan that considers risks of exposure, and incorporates recommendations from sate local federal health […]

VOSH has received more than 200 complaints related to coronavirus, specifically complaints of employers providing insufficient precautions or protections for workers. VOSH investigators are responding to these complaints by contacting employers and requesting a written response setting forth the steps taken to protect workers. Employers who fail or refuse to respond to a VOSH request can expect an onsite inspection. Remember, VOSH is also an employer, so it is taking reasonable steps to keep its investigators safe and healthy. Federal OSHA has a team investigating these complaints nationally. VOSH is  currently investigating complaints remotely. We expect that VOSH investigators will […]

Social distancing has slowed the spread of the pandemic into many parts of Virginia, but the importance of maintaining both a safe workplace and positive employee morale remains a challenge.  In anticipation of the day when an employee reports that he or she has tested positive for COVID-19, employers need to have a plan. Here are some suggested practical measures to be considered as part of your plan: 1. Continual Learning: Everyone is overwhelmed with the volume of information about different aspects of the pandemic, and sadly much of it is anecdotal or rumor and is unreliable.  It is important […]

On April 10, 2020, OSHA issued a memorandum offering interim guidance to its safety and health officers for enforcing the requirements for the recording of occupational illness related to coronavirus. In this memorandum, OSHA confirmed that COVID-19 is a recordable illness under OSHA’s record keeping requirements. If an employee tests positive for coronavirus, it is a recordable illness if it is “work related” and it involves one or more of the general recording criteria (medical care beyond first aid, days away from work, etc.). Employers in healthcare industry, emergency response (emergency medical, firefighting, law enforcement) and correctional institutions must make […]

Small businesses are jumping at the opportunity to obtain loans under the Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The CARES Act provides $349 Billion for PPP loans, and the Trump administration had requested an additional $250 Billion in funding to the support the program. As of April 7, lenders had already lent $70 Billion of the funds committed to the program. However, there was some initial confusion concerning which businesses qualify for PPP loans. Under the SBA’s initial guidance, there was confusion as to whether small businesses needed to have less than 500 employees and meet any applicable revenue caps to […]

On April 8, 2020, Director Robert Redfield announced at a White House press briefing that the CDC was modifying it previous Guidance in order to allow workers in Critical Infrastructure businesses who had been exposed to the coronavirus to return to work if they did not have symptoms of the illness.  Prior guidance had been that any worker exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should self-quarantine for fourteen (14) days. The new Guidance can be found here, and the CDC has also issued a pdf summarizing this new approach for some workers. Director Redfield made clear this change […]