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As the novel coronavirus (Coronavirus) continues to spread in China and around the world, employers may want to consider steps to take in addressing the Coronavirus in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently published a webpage that provides workers and employers with interim guidance and resources for preventing exposure to the Coronavirus. See the OSHA 2019 Novel Coronavirus webpage.

Because few cases have been reported in the United States, the first question employers should consider is whether they have a duty to take any measures to prevent or reduce the likelihood of employee exposure to the Coronavirus. That is, do their employees have any risk of exposure? Unfortunately for employers, the short answer is: It depends. (We recognize that non-lawyers despise this answer, but in this case, it’s true!) If an employer has no basis to believe that its employees are at risk of exposure to the Coronavirus, then the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act), does not impose any affirmative duties on an employer to engage in abatement or prevention efforts.

Read the full GT Alert.

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Photo of Michael Taylor ‡ Michael Taylor ‡

Michael Taylor is Chair of the Greenberg Traurig OSHA Practice group. Michael focuses his nationwide practice exclusively on representing employers regarding workplace safety and health matters. Over the last two decades, Michael has represented hundreds of employers during federal and state workplace safety…

Michael Taylor is Chair of the Greenberg Traurig OSHA Practice group. Michael focuses his nationwide practice exclusively on representing employers regarding workplace safety and health matters. Over the last two decades, Michael has represented hundreds of employers during federal and state workplace safety and health litigation, many of which involved a significant injury, fatality, fire, explosion, or catastrophic release of a highly hazardous substance in the workplace. Michael also provides federal and state workplace safety and health compliance counseling, inspection counseling, whistleblower representation, and due diligence reviews for clients. Michael also represents employers regarding Chemical Safety Board investigations in response to a significant fire, explosion, or catastrophic release of a highly hazardous substance in the workplace. Michael has significant experience in the oil, gas, electric utility, grain, construction, and chemical manufacturing industries.

Michael previously served as General Counsel to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the agency in charge of adjudicating workplace safety and health disputes between federal OSHA and the regulated community.

Michael is the Founder and Host of the Greenberg Traurig Workplace Safety Review Podcast, where he interviews influential environmental, health, and safety professionals across the country regarding timely and important topics in the environmental, health and safety world. Recent guests have included Douglas Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health in the Biden Administration; Deborah Harris, Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section; John Howard, Director of NIOSH and Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service; Nadine Mancini, General Counsel of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; and Richard Fairfax, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for federal OSHA.

In 2020, Michael was recognized as a “Labor & Employment Star” in the Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment rankings, and, in 2013, EHS Today named Michael as one of the Top 50 People Who Most Influenced Environmental, Health, and Safety.

 Admitted in the District of Columbia. Not admitted in Virginia. Practice in Virginia limited to federal OSHA and proceedings before federal agencies.

Photo of Adam Roseman Adam Roseman

Adam Roseman focuses his practice on federal and state labor and employment investigations, counseling and litigation arising under Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, whistleblower retaliation under Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and restrictive covenants. Adam also has

Adam Roseman focuses his practice on federal and state labor and employment investigations, counseling and litigation arising under Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, whistleblower retaliation under Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and restrictive covenants. Adam also has experience on white collar matters, representing clients during internal investigations and in civil and criminal government enforcement actions including the defense of qui tam/False Claims Act complaints.

Genus Heidary

Genus Heidary focuses much of her practice on environmental, health, and safety-related matters, providing both proactive compliance counseling, as well as strategic advocacy at times of enforcement litigation. She has comprehensive experience counseling clients through major industrial accidents, workplace fatalities, agency inspections, and

Genus Heidary focuses much of her practice on environmental, health, and safety-related matters, providing both proactive compliance counseling, as well as strategic advocacy at times of enforcement litigation. She has comprehensive experience counseling clients through major industrial accidents, workplace fatalities, agency inspections, and crisis management at times of potential toxic releases. Genus works with technical experts and auditors, providing compliance counseling in relation to the development and improvement of environmental, health, and safety programs. Much of this work requires her to take the lead on internal investigations to evaluate litigation risk, as well as compliance readiness. Her portfolio also includes due diligence risk assessments of commercial deal work.

With a background in public policy and years of courtroom experience as a litigator, Genus also represents clients from a broad array of industries – including manufacturing, health care, technology, energy, real estate, and financial services – in challenges to agency rule-makings, supervisory investigations, complex litigation, and class action lawsuits, as well as civil and criminal enforcement actions brought by federal and state regulatory agencies, state attorneys general, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).  Such experience has allowed her to represent clients before agencies including the Department of Labor (DOL), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Federal Reserve Board, or related state agencies.