On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, Governor Cuomo signed into law, the HERO Act - designed to establish standards for workplace safety protocols regarding airborne infectious disease prevention.
- Employers must either adopt the model standards or develop their own safety and health standards while adhering to a minimum set of requirements laid out by the Department. The bill further requires employers to allow for the creation of workplace safety and health committees. In addition, the bill contains multiple provisions to prevent employer retaliation. To ensure employer compliance, the bill includes fines and other mechanisms. There will be a chapter amendment to the bill that will address issues such as providing opportunities for employers to remediate violations.