osha coronavirus News

Senate Weighs Broad Coronavirus Liability Shield for Employers

Senate Republicans are drafting legislation that would let employers choose which government coronavirus safety guidelines to follow in order to be shielded from lawsuits if their customers or workers contract the virus, GOP Senator John Cornyn said Wednesday. Cornyn said …

Workers’ Lawsuit Against McDonald’s Seeks Safety Measures, Not Damages

As U.S. businesses reopen, worried workers and their advocates are borrowing a legal strategy commonly used to shut down rowdy topless bars to try and force employers to strengthen protection against further spread of the coronavirus. Workers and their families …

Workers Worry Over Enforcement of Meatpacking Plant Safety Recommendations

Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees’ lives at risk. Extensive guidance issued last …

OSHA Vows More Work Safety Inspections for Coronavirus as Businesses Reopen

The U.S. Labor Department will expand inspections of businesses to reduce job-site hazards related to the new coronavirus as employees begin returning to work across the country, although the policy falls short of demands by worker advocates. The revised policy, …

OSHA Inspectors to Prioritize Health Facilities Over Other Sites During Coronavirus Crisis

The U.S. agency that enforces workplace safety laws has said it will prioritize work site inspections of healthcare facilities over other “essential” businesses that remain open during the coronavirus outbreak. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said in guidance …

Workers at High Risk for Coronavirus Exposure and How to Protect Them

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is responsible for workplace safety regulations, certain workers are at higher risk than others for exposure to the coronavirus and the disease COVID-19. Nurses, doctors, lab and morgue workers are …

Unions, Groups Want OSHA to Require Steps to Protect Coronavirus Workers

Nearly 30 unions and advocacy groups on Friday urged the U.S. employee safety regulator to impose a suite of emergency measures to safeguard public-facing workers against the new coronavirus. In a letter, the groups asked the Operational Safety and Health …