Attorneys representing employers and industry groups say draft revisions to California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) represent a “big improvement” over the current rules, including easing some requirements covering what constitutes exposure, notification requirements and testing obligations.
November 15, 2026
Attorneys representing an employer industry coalition are pressing California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) to amend its controversial COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) to clarify and ease certain key provisions of the rules, while also tracking “cleanup” legislation in the state legislature to further address uncertainty over the ETS.
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A California superior court judge is rejecting industry calls for a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19 worker health and safety emergency temporary standard (ETS) adopted last year, while also saying the plaintiff groups are unlikely to prevail on the merits of the case.
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California Attorney General (AG) Xavier Becerra (D) is launching a new section within his division of public rights that will in part bolster enforcement of worker health and safety rules, including of the controversial new Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect workers from COVID-19.
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Employer attorneys are warning that problems hampering California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) enforcement and appeals board units are likely to continue under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) proposed fiscal year 2021-22 budget, which barely increases the agency’s funding over last year.
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California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) is further clarifying its recently adopted COVID-19 worker safety emergency temporary standard (ETS) for a variety of issues and situations, amid ongoing opposition from hundreds of employer and industry groups that are urging state leaders to delay enforcement of the rules and provide related relief.
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A coalition of agriculture industry groups is suing the California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) in a bid to overturn the state’s recently adopted COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) for workplace safety, charging the new rules exceed the agency’s authority and threaten to cripple food production and distribution chains.
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Several employers and national business groups are suing California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) over its recently adopted COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), claiming in part that a mandate to provide paid leave for sick or exposed workers exceeds the agency’s authority, and that the rulemaking sidestepped key procedural requirements.
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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D), selected to be President-elect Joe Biden’s health services chief, is petitioning a state court to order Amazon to respond to several subpoenas seeking information about the company’s COVID-19 worker safety protocols and the status of COVID infections at its facilities across the state.
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The California Chamber of Commerce is advising employers to be aware of several new COVID-19 worker safety laws that will take effect in the state on Jan. 1, including sweeping legislation that mandates companies issue varying notices and carry out other responses for workplace COVID-19 infections.
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