There is no shortage of federal guidelines for preventing a new pandemic wave as more businesses welcome workers back to resume full production. Reflecting many of our recent articles, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Guidance Summary: Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 advises:

• Developing a preparedness and response plan (also see our article: Thinking the Unthinkable; Workplace Return?);
• Basic infection prevention measures (mandatory masks and other “personal protective equipment” [PPE] are among the prevailing practices, underscored by local directives (see, Keep It To Yourself; Essential Workers Must Cover Up and Stay Six Feet Apart);
• Procedures to identify and isolate sick people (see, When the Show Must Go On; Key Protection Protocols for an Essential Industry Employee’s COVID-19 Diagnosis/Symptoms);
• Flexible leave and other policies to accommodate workers experiencing the ongoing effects of the pandemics (see, Federal Coronavirus Workplace Relief; New Paid Sick Leave, Family Leave And Tax Credits Effective April 2, 2020); and
• Engineering controls (example: plexiglass barriers at market checkout).

The Centers for Disease Control’s Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is also a helpful resource, stressing the importance of specific written workplace protocols for employee education and health operation. See also, Business As Unusual; COVID-19 Generated Expansions to Our Model Employee Handbook and Forms.

As 2020’s runs on toilet paper and hair dye have demonstrated, life’s only constant is change. Whether full return to work is only a few weeks away or longer, we can be sure the national, state and local standards for the transition will evolve in response to whatever new and unprecedented circumstances arise. Stay tuned.

• COVID-19 Safety Nets; Overview of CARES Act Small Business Loans (April 14, 2020)
• It’s a Wash; COVID-19 Paid Leave and Tax Credits (April 9, 2020)
• COVID-19 Gets Noticed (April 2, 2020)
• Unemployment Goes Viral; Furlough or Layoff, Distinction without a Difference? (March 28, 2020)
• Workplace Safety Nets; The Coronavirus Outbreak and California Unemployment Benefits (March 27, 2020)
• Telecommuting in Response to Coronavirus Outbreak (March 18, 2020)

Our firm continues to assist employer clients develop timely policies and protocols to enable continued or resumed operations while safeguarding worker health and safety in this extraordinary time. For more information, contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.

Tim Bowles
April 29, 2020