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Former United Steelworkers safety official Jim Frederick will act as OSHA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 22, 2021 Jim Frederick, a former safety official at United Steelworkers, has been named Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA by President Biden, according to Bloomberg Law. Frederick began serving in this interim position on Jan. 20. He previously served as the assistant health and safety director at United Steelworkers for 24 years. It is rep...

Meatpacking Industry Pushes for Worker Vaccinations Big meatpacking companies like Tyson and JBS are working to get their employees vaccination quickly to avoid more coronavirus cases in meatpacking facilities. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 21, 2021 As COVID-19 cases rise within the meatpacking industry, top meatpacking companies and unions are advocating for meatpacking workers to be a priority vaccination group, according to Bloomberg Government. Various meatpacking facilities have been cited b...

President-elect Joe Biden will push for an OSHA standard to protect workers from COVID-19. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 20, 2021 President-elect Joe Biden announced a $1.9 trillion plan to benefit workers and instill workplace safety standards related to the pandemic on Jan. 14, according to Bloomberg Law. The proposal is intended to be the first part of a two-step plan. It specifies providing “relief to individuals and businesses” that have struggled due to COVID-19. One part of the plan e...

Starting Jan. 26, all incoming United States passengers must provide a negative COVID-19 test. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 14, 2021 The CDC announced on Jan. 12 that air passengers who are entering the United States must provide a negative COVID-19 test before they can board their flight, according to NPR. The rule will go into effect on Jan. 26. It arrives in the midst of another surge in coronavirus cases across the country—the death toll from the virus is expected to exceed 400,000 in the ...

Department of Labor Publishes Guidance on Split-Worker Compensation The Wage and Hour Division clarified when travel during the work day is compensable and when it is not. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 12, 2021 The Department of Labor issued a new guidance on December 31 detailing that employers are not required to pay travel time to employees who work from home for part of the work day, according to Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Inc. The Wage and Hour Division addressed question...

Ontario Government Funds Safety Measures for Forestry Jobs Forestry businesses, which were declared essential in Canada, will receive support from the Ontario government to aid in workplace safety. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 08, 2021 The government in Ontario, Canada announced on January 6 that it is investing $5.3 million to assist forest sector businesses with the cost of coronavirus safety measures. The investment is funded through the federal Forest Sector Safety Measures Fund, which was i...

The rule, which clarifies the terms of independent contractor status, takes effect on March 8. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 07, 2021 The Department of Labor announced a new final rule that clarifies the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) on January 6. The test that determines who is categorized as an independent contractor under the FLSA has been refined to make it easier to identify which employees are covered by the Act. The rul...

Department of Labor Publishes Guidance on Expiration of Paid Sick and Medical Leave The department’s Wage and Hour Division created an FAQ to answer questions about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act expiration. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Jan 06, 2021 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) published guidance on December 31 that informs workers and employers about the expiration of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA’s paid sick leav...

ISO Publishes New Guidelines for Worker Health and Safety The ISO/PAS 45005 guidelines on working safely during the pandemic were developed in only three months instead of the usual three years ISO International Standards take. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Dec 21, 2020 The International Organization for Standardization published a document that contains health and safety guidelines for workers and employers to follow during the COVID-19 pandemic. The general guidance, which was created by experts fr...

Pew Study Shows Favor Towards Remote Working in Certain Industries Fifty percent of Americans would prefer to work from home even after the pandemic is over, says a report by Pew Research Center. By Nikki Johnson-Bolden Dec 15, 2020 A report recently published by Pew Research Center details more than half of surveyed American’s desire to continue working remotely after the pandemic is over, according to Star Tribune. The report draws its data from a survey of 10,332 adults that was conducted ...