As states and businesses across the United States begin reopening, employers need to know whether they'll be held accountable if an employee contracts COVID-19 at work.
To restrict COVID-19 exposure and transmission, employers can screen COVID-19 employees by temperature-taking and testing, asking whether workers have any COVID-19 symptoms, allowing workers to report COVID-19 symptoms to a supervisor and sending sick employees home. Employers are also expected to keep employee health records private and must ensure that all monitoring is accurate and effective.
OSHA Regulations and Administrative Guidance
OSHA created four categories of regulation and offered guidelines on what PPE should be offered for.
Very High Risk
High risk
Medium risk
Lower Risk
CDC Guidelines for Businesses and Employers
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also given certain guidelines for businesses and employers responding to COVID-19. The strategies and recommendations for employers, particularly those aiming to resume regular or phased business operations:
Because of the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, and the extent of the current public health crisis, COVID-19 risk persists in almost every sector. In the case of Connecticut and other states with similar occupational disease coverage, COVID-19 is likely to be a compensated workplace illness.
Workers who appear to have contracted COVID-19 at work, though, are likely to face challenging difficulties in meeting their burden in establishing that they were exposed at work. Through a preponderance of the facts a worker's compensation claimant must prove that their injury or illness is causally linked to their employment.
If you’re contracted coronavirus due to workplace exposure, then contact the best Personal Injury Lawyer in New Haven, CT to file a worker’s compensation case.