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People who refuse unsafe work can get unemployment benefits

Feb 11, 2021
Until now such decisions have been left to states, leading to wide variation and confusion.
The lack of consistency across the country as to what counts as "unsafe work" means workers are consistently denied unemployment benefits.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Biden orders OSHA to strengthen COVID-19 safety rules

Jan 22, 2021
The order also asks OSHA to strengthen its workplace enforcement efforts.
An employee wipes down outdoor tables at a restaurant in Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

California adopts emergency workplace safety rules for COVID-19

Nov 20, 2020
OSHA has declined to create national rules during the pandemic.
A security guard checks a customer's temperature outside a retail store. Efforts to prevent virus transmission in the workplace are gaining steam.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Retail workers balance financial need with pandemic risk

Nov 17, 2020
A recent survey from Korn Ferry found that 47% of retailers are having a hard time finding seasonal workers this year.
Al Bello/Getty Images

Republicans propose funding cuts to OSHA during pandemic

Nov 11, 2020
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it has received more than 10,000 COVID-related complaints.
Loren Sweatt, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, responds to questions during a House subcommittee hearing on the federal government's actions to protect workers during COVID-19 on May 28, 2020 in Washington.
Rod Lamkey/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
A worker arrives at a COVID-19 testing site in Long Beach, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Workplace testing for COVID-19 is still limited

Oct 8, 2020
The cost and complexity of testing employees means many industries aren't benefiting.
Rapid testing can help workplaces open back up, but only to an extent.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

California's domestic workers push for safety protections in home settings

Jul 14, 2020
A measure before the Assembly would eliminate the exclusion of domestic workers from workplace safety law that covers other employees.
The health and safety rules that govern most jobs in California do not currently protect domestic workers, like house cleaners.
BrianAJackson via Getty Images

As OSHA takes limited role in the pandemic, Virginia sets workplace safety rules

Jun 25, 2020
The state will make standards legally binding, where federal guidelines are mere recommendations.
An employee wearing gloves and a face mask cleans a restaurant in Arlington, Virginia. The state is finalizing safety mandates to protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Do employers need to keep track of sick workers?

Jun 22, 2020
Like so many things about the coronavirus, it depends.
A server wearing protective gear at work in a Maryland restaurant.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images