Industry and business groups are rejecting as inadequate amendments to a pending California bill that would prohibit employers from taking any “adverse action” against employees who either leave or refuse to report to a job site if they feel “unsafe” due to an “emergency” situation, saying the revised legislation remains “very subjective” and overbroad.
California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) is posting new fact sheets and updated frequently asked question (FAQ) documents for the recently adopted third revision to its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), highlighting changes to key definitions and requirements for testing, quarantining, face masking and more.
California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board has approved a revised COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) despite ongoing opposition to certain provisions by employer representatives and uncertainty about whether the state will pursue a permanent COVID worker-safety regulation or a broader infectious-disease rulemaking in the months to come.
OSHA is formally proposing to withdraw Arizona’s state plan authority under the OSH Act, pointing not only to the state’s failure to adopt a counterpart to the COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) for healthcare workers but a longer “history of shortcomings” on fall protections and overall enforcement dating back to 2012.
California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) is floating new revisions to its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would drop several requirements and instead require employers to follow frequently updated guidance from the state’s health department, though employers’ attorneys say some provisions of the new rule are still too stringent.
A new report from the California state government Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) lays out a case that climate change will increase worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities from a wide range of causes, warning lawmakers that they may need to take a more aggressive approach to ensure work-safety standards fully protect employees in the years ahead.
The California legislator who proposed a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all workers and contractors has shelved the bill in the face of widespread employer opposition, but lawmakers are moving ahead with another contentious work-safety bill that would tighten recent California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) rules on wildfire smoke and heat illness.
Industry and business groups are attacking a bill advancing in the California Legislature that would prohibit an employer from taking any “adverse action” against employees who either leave or refuse to report to a job site if they feel “unsafe” due to a state of emergency, while requiring that workers be allowed to use their mobile phones during such situations.
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is raising several concerns with a newly proposed state bill that would mandate COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment for all public and private sector workers, including that employers will find it harder to hire and retain workers, and could face burdensome litigation over their compliance.
California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) is preparing to soon release an updated version of its controversial COVID-19 worker safety emergency temporary standard (ETS), drawing fears from employers’ attorneys that the state will ramp up enforcement of the rule even as the contours of the update remain unclear.