What happens when employees refuse to return to the office?
Many businesses across the country have been working to safely reopen their offices. From disinfecting desks to implementing social distancing guidelines, some employers are learning it still might not be enough to bring people back to their desks. KXXV (Waco, Texas)
Can the government legally force you to wear a mask?
“Anti-maskers” have claimed a “disability” to avoid wearing face masks. What disabilities must you prove to avoid having to wear a mask? Can an employer force you to wear one? Poynter
The pros, cons and potential pitfalls of telecommuting becoming permanent
Employers are extending remote work assignments, and in some cases, planning to make them permanent. But that will require revamping a host of rules and procedures that weren’t always dealt with, like tracking time worked, using paid time-off, worker safety, cybersecurity, inclusivity and maintaining workplace culture. Denver Post
Georgia pyrotechnics plant employee hospitalized after flash fire
A flash fire last week at a pyrotechnics plant in Byron, Georgia has left one employee hospitalized in an Atlanta burn unit with head and hand injuries. The employee reportedly was working a pelleting machine when the accident happened. WGXA
Missouri poultry processing plant announces large-scale testing
Tyson Foods has begun conducting widespread COVID-19 testing among workers at its poultry plant in Noel, Missouri. The announcement also came on the day county health officials announced 34 new cases, bringing the total to 226. Also on Friday, the company announced results of testing for COVID-19 at its locations throughout Benton and Washington counties in northwest Arkansas. Joplin Globe
COVID-19 has meant a shift in plastics markets. The car industry has been hit harder than any other plastics sector. Auto plants are opening back up, and orders for engineering polymers are trickling in. But when a full recovery might occur is anyone’s guess. Chemical & Engineering News
Fed-OSHA issues new guidance for businesses returning to work
Fed-OSHA last week issued new guidance for employers that are reopening their businesses and returning employees to work. Intended as a supplement to the agency’s earlier Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, the new guidance does not offer any new recommended practices or strategies for minimizing and preventing the spread COVID-19. Instead, it provides examples for how employers can incorporate recommended practices for COVID-19 control and prevention into reopening and return to work strategies, with continued focus on infectious disease control and prevention, social distancing, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training, writes attorney Cressinda D. Schlag of Jackson Lewis. National Law Review