Flash: Newsom Approves Limited Term COVID-19 Presumption

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is approving a workers’ comp presumption for COVID-19. What’s in the order and who is covered at what cost? Get the details here. Cal-OSHA Reporter

 

IOSHA investigating three nursing homes after four pandemic-related deaths

Indiana OSHA is inspecting three long-term care facilities after the deaths of four staff members related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Fox 59 (Indianapolis)

 

Q&A: Returning to work without PPE

Question: I was furloughed from a hotel job. What if they recall me and I do not feel it is a safe environment to work in due to the lack of personal protective equipment? Do I lose unemployment? Minneapolis Star Tribune

 

Will temp checks, masks be new norm for jobsites?

New construction safety guidelines will not just focus on wearing hard hats or mitigating falls but checking employees’ temperatures before they enter jobsites, staggering start hours and making sure masks are worn at all times due to the coronavirus pandemic, said panelists at the Commercial Observer’s Second Annual Construction Safety Forum. Commercial Observer (Memphis)

 

Tennessee: Complaints double amid pandemic

More than 330 complaints describing dangerous working conditions related to COVID-19 have been submitted since March 1, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports. They include accounts of a lack of personal protective equipment at health care facilities, of essential businesses not abiding by state and federal guidelines and of employees fearful of losing their jobs if they refuse to work in unsafe conditions. In total, Tennessee OSHA received 532 complaints of hazardous working conditions in March and April this year versus 265 in the same time frame of 2019. Nashville Post

 

Meatpackers question new COVID-19 guidelines

Meatpacking workers have been ordered back on the job to plants where COVID-19 cases had spread. While Fed-OSHA issued new safety guidelines, some wonder whether they protect workers or employers. WBUR (Boston) [with audio]

 

Oregon: Jackson County workers file pandemic-related complaints

The records custodian for Jackson County, Oregon Mental Health says there have been at least six complaints about lack of personal protective equipment, as well as social distancing guidelines in the workplace, from county employees. KTVL [with video]