Julia Y. Trankiem and J. Drei Munar of Hunton Andrews Kurth (Photo: Courtesy Photo)
In response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 685, a law meant to gather data about the spread of COVID-19 in California by tracking and tracing workplace exposure to the virus. Gathering information about workplace illness is meant to assist in efforts to limit community exposure to COVID-19 and minimize the spread of COVID-19 throughout the State.
AB 685 imposes uniform notice requirements on California employers dealing with a potential COVID-19 exposure or outbreak. Under the new law, when non-healthcare employers identify three or more cases of COVID-19 at a worksite within a 14-day period, they are required to report this to their local health department within 48 hours. The law also requires employers to maintain records of COVID-19 notices and empowers the Division of Occupational Health and Safety (“Cal OSHA”) to close down worksites where the risk of exposure to COVID-19 constitutes an imminent hazard to employees.
