H.R.7 – Paycheck Fairness Act: What You Need to Know
H.R.7, the amendments to the Paycheck Fairness Act, closed the wage gap between men and women. The bill ensures equal pay for equal work. Passed on...
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Kayla Kelly : Oct 26, 2021 4:09:19 PM
On May 5, 2021, the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (NY HERO Act) was signed into law, mandating new workplace health and safety protections to help protect workers during airborne infectious disease outbreaks. The mandate is designed to ensure employers are taking steps to reduce the risk of exposure and protect their employees from the spread of the disease. Here’s what you need to know about HERO Act compliance.
The HERO Act protects New York employees against exposure in the case of airborne infectious disease outbreaks. It is important to understand the mandate is not just applicable to the current pandemic. The policy applies to all future airborne infectious disease outbreaks. It adds two new sections to New York Labor Law:
The HERO act applies to all employers in the state of New York and includes all employees, independent contractors, part-time workers and others.
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Employers were mandated to have model infection disease exposure plans in place no later than August 5, 2021. All employers with worksites in New York must also adopt a model infectious disease exposure plan that meets or exceeds the minimum standards of the act. Employers must distribute the plan to employees within 30 days of establishing their plan.
After a business closure related to an outbreak, you must distribute the plan within 15 days of reopening. It must also be shared with all new hires or should an employee request to see the plan. The New York State Department of Labor (NYDOL) or New York State Department of Health (NYDOH) can also request to see the plan at any time.
Civil penalties for failure to adopt a plan include fines of at least $50 per day and not less than $1,000. Failure to abide by a plan can be over $10,000, with penalties increasing for repeat violations.
To help employers understand requirements, the NYDOL, in consultation with the NYDOH, released an Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Standard. They also prepared industry-specific Model Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plans (the Model Plans). The standards include:
These are the basics of the standards. A thorough review of the standards will make sure you are compliant.
Effective November 1, 2021, employees can form a joint labor-management workplace safety committee composed of employer and employee designees. The act states at least two-thirds must be chosen by nonsupervisory employees. The committee is in place for the following purpose:
You must allow the committee to hold quarterly meetings during working hours for up to two hours. Members are also permitted to attend training on occupational health and safety during work hours of up to four hours to better understand the committee’s function.
To ensure you are compliant, make sure you take the following steps:
Following these steps will ensure you are compliant and also provide a safe workplace for your employees.
About The Author
Ingrid is the Content Marketing Manager at Paypro, managing both inbound and outbound marketing initiatives for the company. She has 15+ years’ of extensive marketing communications experience, leveraging brand awareness and strategic partnerships to increase sales revenue for a diverse group of B2B brands.
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