By Adam R. Young, Melissa A. Ortega, A. Scott Hecker, James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Benjamin D. Briggs, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 11, 2022, the CDC, through a press release, eased its COVID-19 guidance to “help us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer
Continue Reading CDC Eases COVID-19 Guidelines
By Adam R. Young, Brent I. Clark, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Federal OSHA is rolling out an aggressive COVID-19 enforcement program to inspect “high hazard” employers, as well as re-inspect those healthcare employers who have received COVID-19 complaints in the past.
In March 2022 at the ABA OSHA conference, OSHA enforcement leadership publicly declared the “COVID-19
Continue Reading COVID-19 “Endemic” is Not Over: OSHA is Opening New COVID-19 Programmed Inspections
By Benjamin D. Briggs, A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: CDC’s new COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation calculator “takes the stress out of deciding when, and for how long, individuals with COVID-19 and close contacts need to stay home, get tested, and wear a well-fitting mask.”
The new CDC calculator may
Continue Reading CDC Publishes New Quarantine and Isolation Calculator
By James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, Adam Young, Patrick D. Joyce, A. Scott Hecker, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that “U.S. healthcare workers experienced a staggering 249 percent increase in injury and illness rates in 2020, based on employer-reported data, as
Continue Reading OSHA To Address Soaring Injury Rates at Healthcare Facilities
By James L. Curtis, Mark A. Lies, II, Matthew A. Sloan, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Recently the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill with bipartisan support that would require the Department of Labor to promulgate an OSHA standard specifically aimed at protecting healthcare and social service workers from workplace violence.
Continue Reading House Passes Legislation on Workplace Violence in Healthcare and Social Assistance
By Benjamin D. Briggs, Joshua M. Henderson, Patrick D. Joyce, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC), part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), has identified new safety hazards from the expanding nanotechnology industry.
We have previously blogged on future issues related to the
Continue Reading Future Enterprises: New Safety Hazards from Nanotechnology Materials and Processes on the Horizon
By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employment in healthcare occupations continues to outgrow all other industries, as the American population continues to age and nursing home and hospital services expand. Health care workers face a range of safety issues, such as ergonomics, blood borne pathogens, and
Continue Reading Future Enterprise – Workplace Safety Compliance Comes to the Forefront for Expanding Healthcare Industry
By Scott Rabe and Marlin Duro
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its recent decision in EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., No. 16-2424, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 5720 (6th Cir. Mar. 7, 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit has sent the strong message that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) has minimal impact
Continue Reading Sixth Circuit Finds EEOC’s Enforcement of Title VII Does Not Need to “Give Way” to Religious Freedom Restoration Act
By Scott Rabe and Sam Schwartz-Fenwick
Seyfarth Synopsis: In landmark decision, the Second Circuit joins the Seventh Circuit in holding that Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as a subset of sex discrimination.
In a landmark decision today in Zarda v. Altitude Express, Inc., No. 15-3775, the Second Circuit ruled en banc that Title
Continue Reading Second Circuit Holds That Title VII Bars Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Seyfarth Synopsis: Mandatory vaccines and flu shots present challenges to employers attempting to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of employees. In this case, a hospital worker claimed that he was terminated for failing to get a flu shot due to his religious beliefs. In affirming the District Court’s decision granting the employer’s motion to
Continue Reading No Religious Bias Against Hospital Employee Who Refused to Get Flu Shot