Small Business COVID-19 Implications
Short Summary: You need a Covid-19 Preparedness Plan and you need to follow it; you should verify that your sick leave policy is in compliance with the latest requirements; you should keep up to date with the latest programs designed to provide financial assistance to small businesses.
I could draft an entire handbook on COVID issues for small businesses. Not only would it be too voluminous to be of much use to you, it would also be out of date in a matter of weeks.
Instead, I’ll focus on the main points. First, you need to have a COVID Preparedness Plan that is tailored precisely to your place of work. In the event that you don’t have one and end up with an outbreak, your liability could be much higher because you didn’t follow state requirements and OSHA guidelines.
These plans should, at a minimum, address the following:
Infection prevention measures
Prompt identification and isolation of sick persons
Engineering and administrative controls for social distancing, including reduced occupancy requirements
Sanitation policies and procedures, including cleaning, disinfection and decontamination
Communications and training for managers and staff necessary to implement the plan
Procedures to ensure effective ongoing implementation of the plan.
The newest Cal/OSHA guidelines also include additional paid leave requirements. These are likely to be augmented or replaced so instead of going into detail, I’ll just state that if any worker is sent home because of a COVID diagnosis, symptoms of COVID, or exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID, unless you’re certain that they contracted it outside of your workplace, they should be paid at their full rate while excluded.
If you have further questions Get in Touch! Find out more helpful information on my Resources Blog.
