Cal/OSHA – Coronavirus (COVID-19)

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 by Duane Morris

California Ends Its COVID-10 State of Emergency, but Keeps Employer Obligations

On February 28, 2023, the COVID-19 state of emergency officially comes to an end in California. The “SMARTER Plan” is the next phase of California’s COVID-19 response. So what’s next for California employers?

The new nonemergency COVID-19 prevention regulations―adopted by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board and effective February 3, 2023―remain in effect for the next two years, with reporting obligations in effect for the next three. The new regulations incorporated some requirements of the older Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards and added new provisions designed to be easier and more flexible for employers.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

May 6, 2022 by Duane Morris

Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Change Again – New Regulations Take Effect May 6

As COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed in California and many mask mandates have been lifted, Cal/OSHA has updated its Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The new ETS, which take effect on May 6, 2022, reflect a general loosening of restrictions without lifting them completely.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

February 11, 2022 by Duane Morris

New Year, New Rules: 2022 Brings a Barrage of Changes to California COVID-19 Obligations for Employers

After two tumultuous years reacting to COVID-19 in the workplace, the one constant has been change. In recent months, the state of California has changed course on several workplace requirements, leaving businesses, schools and organizations scrambling to keep up. While the differences from past requirements lie in the details, the landscape is a familiar one: masks, paid sick leave and another iteration of the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

December 14, 2021 by Duane Morris

California Reinstates Statewide Indoor Mask Mandate in All Public Places Regardless of Vaccination Status

By Brooke Tabshouri

The California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) has announced that beginning this Wednesday, December 15, California will reinstate its statewide indoor mask mandate for all people of all ages in all public places regardless of vaccination status. The order is being issued in response to a spike in COVID cases in the last few weeks; cases have increased by nearly 50% since Thanksgiving. Continue reading “California Reinstates Statewide Indoor Mask Mandate in All Public Places Regardless of Vaccination Status”

June 18, 2021 by Duane Morris

Cal/OSHA Adopts New Workplace COVID-19 Standards, Providing Relief for Vaccinated Employees

On June 17, 2021, following a dizzying series of events, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration voted to adopt new emergency temporary standards for COVID-19, revising employer obligations designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. In addition to bringing face coverings and social distancing requirements into alignment with federal guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a recent order by the California Department of Public Health, the new standards update what is required of employers in creating mandatory COVID-19 prevention programs, including investigating and responding to COVID-19 in the workplace and providing engineering and administrative controls.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.