Employers and the Coronavirus

摘要

As news that the accelerating coronavirus(2019-nCoV)outbreak that originated in Wuhan,China,has spread to the U.S.,and as it has been declared by the”World Health Organization to be a”Public Health Emergency of International Concern,”employers are trying to assess the effects the virus might have on their employees and businesses,including supply-chain disruptions and government-imposed travel restrictions,quarantines and border screenings for workers.Let me share with you some of my suggestions from where I sit.I typically start my analysis with the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s”general dury”clause.Under this statute,administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA),employees have the right to working conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm.In addition,OSHAs Hazard Communication Standard requires workers to receive information and training about workplace hazards,and other OSHA rules allow workers to exercise their workplace rights without retaliation.