Families First Coronavirus Response Act As it stands right now, the FFCRA doesn’t go into effect until April 2, 2020 though it could be made effective sooner. The language of the actual Act is that it “shall take effect not later than 15 days after the enactment of the Act.” First step - FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave If any employee is experiencing any of the following: Subject to a federal/state/local quarantine or isolation order relating to COVID-19;Advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns relating to COVID-19;Symptoms of COVID-19 and awaiting diagnosis;Caring for an individual subject or advised to quarantine or self-isolate; orCaring for his ... Continue Reading
Georgia Employers Required to File Unemployment Claims for COVID-19 Shutdowns
In an effort to mitigate work slow-downs and stoppages resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, Governor Kemp and the Georgia Department of Labor have enacted an emergency rule providing unemployment benefits for workers affected by partial or complete work stoppages. This temporary rule requires Employers to proactively file for Unemployment Benefits online for all employees whose hours are reduced due to a partial of full shutdown as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. The emergency rule, which went into effect for claim weeks beginning March 15, 2020: Requires employers to file partial claims on the DOL website;“With respect to any week during which an employee works less than ... Continue Reading
FAQ’s About the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
On March 14, 2020, the United States House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). President Trump signed the bill into law on March 18, 2020. It will go into effect on April 2, 2020 (fifteen days from the date of the President’s signature), and will expire on December 31, 2020. As enacted, the FFCRA applies only to private employers with 500 or fewer employees. All public agencies with at least one employee are covered. As you are likely already aware, the topic of providing paid leave for employees has been a subject of great debate for many years. To offset the cost to employers of providing the paid leave provided by the FFCRA, employers will be ... Continue Reading
COVID-19: Legal Services to Continue Despite Physical Office Closings
In order to decrease the spread of COVID-19, and in compliance with the CDC's recommendations to implement the use of social distancing strategies, Drew Eckl & Farnham has made the decision to close all of our Atlanta office starting on March 17. Despite the closing of our physical offices, we will continue providing our clients with exceptional legal services. In order to decrease the spread of COVID-19, and in compliance with the CDC's recommendations to implement the use of social distancing strategies, Drew Eckl & Farnham has made the decision to close all of our Atlanta offices starting on March 17. This decision was made for the health of our staff and the public and will ... Continue Reading
COVID-19: An Update on Our Preparations
As a valued client of Drew Eckl & Farnham, we appreciate the trust you place in us to provide quality legal services. We understand the need for our firm to provide continuous and uninterrupted legal services, and want to take this opportunity to update you on the proactive steps we’re taking to be prepared for the evolving situation with COVID-19 (the coronavirus). We take business continuity seriously and have been preparing for this situation. We have updated our business continuity plans to address infectious disease scenarios and have identified the team in Atlanta to coordinate our response, with a redundant command center prepared in Albany, GA. Our Emergency Response ... Continue Reading
Reminder of Lockout/Tagout Procedures
When is the last time you reviewed your lockout/tagout procedures? Just a reminder below of some of the basics for Lockout/tagout procedures. Develop procedures for the control of potentially hazardous energy.Document those procedures.Train employees on the procedures, including the purpose and function of the procedures.Not only train but confirm the employees understand the purpose and function of the procedures.Train employees on the skills required for safe application, usage, and removal of energy control procedures.Put the procedures in place and utilize them.Periodically inspect the procedures to confirm the procedures are appropriate and being followed.Retrain when ... Continue Reading
Partner Whitney Lay Greene speaking on The Ghost of Treatment Past: Phantom Medical Bills, Medical Litigation Funding, and How to Fight Them Webinar
Whiteny Lay Greene will be speaking in an upcoming DRI webinar, "The Ghost of Treatment Past: Phantom Medical Bills, Medical Litigation Funding, and How to Fight Them" on Thursday, March 5th from 1:00PM - 2:00PM EST. The webinar aims to educate listeners on topics including varying types of medical funding models, discovery tactics that can be utilized by defense lawyers to obtain relevant and critical medical funding information, and case law addressing the relevance of medical funding discovery and the admissibility of medical funding information at trial. Register ... Continue Reading
Neil Brunetz Quoted in Newsday
Attorney Neil Brunetz was quoted in "Safety First, or it Will Cost You" an article by Newsday discussing why he believes companies must remain proactive about maintaining a safe work place. Neil strongly advises against waiting for OSHA coming in and administering citations to take the appropriate precautions, as inspections and penalties have increased for 2020. “Companies should be proactive and not wait for OSHA to come in and cite you for a violation,” says Neil Brunetz, an attorney at Drew Eckl & Farnham in Atlanta. “It’s kind of like paying them to be your safety consultant.”Neil Brunetz ... Continue Reading
Fourteen Drew Eckl & Farnham Attorneys Selected for Georgia Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars®
We are proud to announce that fourteen of our attorneys have been selected for inclusion on the Georgia Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars® lists for 2020.We are proud to announce that fourteen of our attorneys have been selected for inclusion on the Georgia Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars® lists for 2020. Super Lawyer Honorees Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. The selections for this esteemed list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters, Legal division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes ... Continue Reading
Do you fall under OSHA’s General Industry Classification? Do you need an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)? Do you have one in place that is in compliance?
General Industry Emergency Action plans under OSHA (CFR 1910.38) are broken down into 6 parts. 1. You need one whenever an OSHA standard requires one. Find out if the OSHA standards that apply to your business mandate an EAP. 2. If you have fewer than 10 employees you can communicate the EAP orally, but if you have more than 10 employees the EAP must be in writing, must be kept in the workplace and must be available for employees to review. 3. The EAP must have at a minimum: Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency. Procedures for emergency evacuation, including type of evacuation and exit route assignments.Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to ... Continue Reading