Covenant Services

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently voted to reinstate the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 as the Omicron variant surges. The decision extends the ETS deadline set to go into effect this month (December 2021) until January 10, 2022, and February 9, 2022. With the ever-evolving guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers must remain informed of the most recent and updated workplace developments. The Recent ETS Court Decision and Its Impact on Your Business The most recent court ruling allows OSHA to implement and enforce the ETS, requiring businesses made up of 100 or more employees to implement a vaccination and testing policy. For guidance on the latest ETS development, OSHA has provided the following statement on its website: "To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for non-compliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for non-compliance w...

  COVID-19 National Emphasis Plan  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to help fight the ongoing pandemic.  A NEP comes into play when OSHA identifies specific hazards and high-hazard industries that require a focus of their resources. For this NEP, OSHA plans to use a three-step approach aimed at reducing worker exposure to COVID-19:  Targeted on-site inspections Employer outreach Compliance assistance One of the main factors leading to this NEP was the need to performs on-site inspections again when necessary. During this NEP, OSHA plans to complete 1,600 inspections; the majority will be conducted in the general industry sector.  The main goal of these inspections is to identify and eliminate any COVID-19 hazards. Those workplaces that have had COVID-19 violations, cases, or deaths are likely to receive follow-up inspections to further eliminate these hazards.  For employer outreach, OSHA wi...

  AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT RESETS HOURS FOR PAID SICK LEAVE  As some of you may know, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was passed last month. Previously we thought that the paid sick leave was just continued. In fact, the time was reset effective 4/1. Anyone who uses time after April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021 will have 80 hours to use, regardless of whether or not they used the previous 80 hours that was available from March 2020 through March 2021. In addition, they have added some reasons to use the paid sick leave: The worker is getting a COVID-19 vaccine The employee is recovering from complications due to receiving the vaccine The worker is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test or diagnosis for coronavirus Please read the attached article from Society for Human Resource Management for more details  here.  For additional clarification from JDSupra you can click here. 

Workplaces have changed drastically in the last few months. Each company has had to assess the workplace and determine how it will modify to mitigate coronavirus risks. Some companies are choosing to split the workforce into shifts to limit the number of people in the building at one time. Others are allowing their employees to work from home when possible. Some are rotating who is in the office on any given day or week. All companies are looking at workstations to determine how best to ensure the safety of employees. While a lot has changed over the past 5 months, we must stay focused on the constants. Maintaining a healthy environment for employees is definitely at the top of the list of priorities for companies. Companies need to be aware that the efforts they take to ensure workplace safety will impact the types of candidates they attract, their turnover rate, as well as the productivity of their employees. Often a cost/benefit analysis is used to determine...

On Saturday, August 8, 2020 the President signed four executive memorandums related to COVID-19 relief. There are media reports that all orders may be subject to constitutional challenge. Consequently, more time is needed to determine when and how these proposed Presidential relief actions will take effect.   We’ve had a few clients inquire about the memorandum and how it will impact them, so we decided to provide a summary of the two orders pertinent to businesses.  Federal Unemployment Benefits: The “Memorandum on Authorizing the Other Needs Assistance Program for Major Disaster Declarations Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019,” proposes an additional $400 in weekly federal unemployment benefits to replace the expired $600 a week benefit under the CARES Act. $300 of the $400 amount would be funded by the federal government while the individual states must fund the remaining $100 or seek a waiver if the state is not financially able to fund the $100. Un...

SAMPLE NOTIFICATION LETTER OF A POSITIVE TEST RESULT We have had several questions regarding employee notification of a positive test result.  If you have an employee who tests positive, you should follow CDC guidelines for contact tracing.  This notice could be used to notify other employees of the situation.   ANNOUNCEMENT TO EMPLOYEES ABOUT POSITIVE TEST We learned __________ that one of our employees has tested positive for/contracted the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.  This employee worked in __________________________ (department/location). If you develop flu or other symptoms including dry cough and fever, please contact your medical provider, and do not come to work. Notify  _________________________ as soon as   possible. We  cannot identify the employee who tested positive for the virus because of privacy laws.   However,   we   have   gathered   the   names   of ...

Sample Safety/Preparedness Plan   Below is a sample safety/preparedness plan that you can customize to fit your business/industry needs.  If you have more questions or need assistance in developing this plan, please call our HR Department.  COVID-19 Preparedness Plan ____________________ is committed to a healthy work environment for all employees.  The following plan has been created in an effort to prevent or reduce transmission among employees and maintain a healthy work environment.   Employees are expected to: ·           Notify their supervisor and stay home if they are experiencing symptoms. ·           Follow CDC-recommended steps when sick.  Employees will not be allowed to return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers.  ·    ...