State Laws

Lansing, MI — Michigan OSHA, with the support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), has implemented temporary emergency rules intended to clarify employer requirements for protecting workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Sacramento, CA — California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sept. 17 signed into law a pair of bills intended to expand worker protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Springfield, IL — New guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health is intended to help staffing agencies and employers protect temporary workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Richmond, VA — Less than two weeks after Virginia became the first state to approve an emergency temporary standard (16 VAC 25-220) to protect workers from COVID-19, the standard has gone into effect.

Richmond, VA — Virginia became the first state to approve an emergency temporary standard to protect workers from COVID-19, after the Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board voted July 15 to approve the new rules.

Richmond, VA — The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board on June 24 voted to approve the adoption of an emergency temporary standard on infectious disease prevention amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sacramento, CA — California has enacted two standards designed to help protect nighttime agriculture workers from on-the-job hazards.

Lansing, MI — Michigan OSHA’s Consultation Education and Training Division has published guidance intended to prevent and control manufacturing worker exposure to COVID-19.

Richmond, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has directed the state’s Department of Labor and Industry to develop emergency temporary standards to “control, prevent and mitigate” the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Albany, NY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has included a measure in his Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget that would impose tougher criminal penalties for violent acts against highway workers.