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On July 15, 2020, Virginia’s Safety and Health Codes Board (Board), the body that establishes Virginia Occupational Safety and Health regulations and standards, approved workplace safety regulations related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Virginia is the first state in the country to enact such a standard or regulation, though other states, like Oregon, may follow suit. According to Gov. Ralph Northam’s office, the emergency standard was prompted by the alleged lack of enforcement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency that enforces workplace safety and health regulations. To date, OSHA has not created a workplace safety standard specifically related to addressing COVID-19 in the workplace, instead opting to issue a plethora of non-mandatory workplace safety and health guidance regarding COVID-19.

Click here to read the full GT Alert, “Virginia Becomes First State to Adopt COVID-19-Related Workplace Health and Safety Standard.”

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Photo of Michael G. Murphy Michael G. Murphy

Michael Murphy is a board certified construction lawyer who focuses his practice on defects, design claims, delay, disruption and acceleration claims, lien foreclosures, and arbitration on behalf of owners, developers, contractors and subcontractors. He reviews and draft construction contacts. He advises clients in…

Michael Murphy is a board certified construction lawyer who focuses his practice on defects, design claims, delay, disruption and acceleration claims, lien foreclosures, and arbitration on behalf of owners, developers, contractors and subcontractors. He reviews and draft construction contacts. He advises clients in the construction industry on OSHA compliance issues, workplace accident and fatality investigations, and contest of citations through trial. He also practices in the area of commercial litigation.

Photo of Michael T. Taylor Michael T. 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.

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.