Safety signs provide reminders of COVID-19 protocols at Steel Warehouse in South Bend. Staff photo by Michael Caterina
Safety signs provide reminders of COVID-19 protocols at Steel Warehouse in South Bend. Staff photo by Michael Caterina
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COVID-19 has put both employers and their employees in a sort of Catch-22 dilemma.

Businesses and schools are increasingly under pressure to get back to normal and their employees are increasingly faced with tough choices on whether it’s safe for them to be in the workplace.

None of the choices is easy. Employees have to decide whether their job is worth the risk of catching the virus; employers have to worry about creating a safe environment or possibly face a lawsuit related to COVID-19.

While Republicans continue to push for a liability shield for schools, colleges and businesses as part of any stimulus package, a host of lawsuits related to the virus already are being filed in courtrooms across the country and many more are expected.

But in the meantime — or until a vaccine is readily available — employers can best protect themselves by complying with the basic Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard of providing a “workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
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