EFFORTS ARE afoot to create new laws and regulations that would require California employers to include the opioid overdose medication Narcan in their first aid kits. Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board has received a petition from a safety group asking it to create new regulations requiring workplaces to stock medications that can reverse opioid overdoses.

On the legislative front, two state assembly members have introduced bills that would require workplace first aid kits to include naloxone hydrochloride, the substance that can reverse overdoses.
More than 83,000 people died of an opioid overdose in 2022 in the U.S., including nearly 7,000 Californians, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Naloxone, sold under the brand names Narcan and RiVive, is available in an over-the-counter nasal spray or as an injectable.
These medications temporarily reverse overdoses from prescription and illicit opioids, are not addictive, and are not harmful to people when administered.
In its Dec. 8 petition to Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board, the National Safety Council asked it to add naloxone to the list of required items in both construction sites as well as general industry workplaces.
“With the number of workplace overdose deaths on the rise, opioid overdose reversal medication is now an essential component of an adequate first-aid kit,” wrote Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the NSC.

Legislation

Two bills are in play.
AB 1976: Authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), this bill would require first aid kits on job sites to include Narcan. It would require the Standards Board to draft enabling regulations by Dec. 31, 2026.
AB 1996: Authored by Assemblyman Juan Alanis (D-Modesto), this measure would require operators of stadiums, concert venues and amusement parks to stock Narcan. It would not require Cal/OSHA to create new regulations as the measure is aimed at helping members of the public.

The takeaway

In light of the opioid overdose epidemic, more and more employers and operators of facilities that cater to the public have started stocking naloxone.
With opioid overdoses so prevalent in U.S. workplaces (18% in California alone), the simple addition of this over-the-counter medication can save the life of a worker.
Narcan is available for around $40 at most major retail pharmacies. It’s a simple and inexpensive addition to a first aid kit for any employer. It would be good practice to keep a pack in your safety kit… just in case.
Meanwhile, if any of the legislative and possible regulatory efforts become law or regulation, we’ll let you know.

THE EQUAL Employment Opportunity Commission continues seeing a steady flow of complaints for one of the more common forms of workplace bias — age discrimination.

 

The number of court filings the EEOC made under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) in fiscal year 2023 was more than double that of fiscal year 2022. As the EEOC steps up its efforts under the Biden administration, it’s crucial that employers have in place policies and employment standards to avoid any appearances of discrimination against workers based on age.

The ADEA prohibits harassment and discrimination on the basis of a worker’s age for individuals over 40. This extends to any aspect of employment, including hiring, job assignments, promotions, training, benefits and more. The law even applies to employers that use third party recruiters to screen job applicants, according to EEOC guidance.

What you can do
Age discrimination in the workplace doesn’t just negatively affect employees. It also affects your company. Over the past 15 years, age discrimination cases have accounted for 20- 25% of all EEOC cases — and such cases typically receive the highest payouts.
Ageism in the workplace is bad for business. Not only do you risk a large settlement, but you also miss out on a large talent pool of older workers in your hiring practices. You also miss out on the major contributions that older workers can make to your organization.

To prevent age discrimination at your firm:

• Train your managers and supervisors on age discrimination and that it won’t be tolerated. Have in place consequences (and follow through on them) for managers who discriminate against an employee due to any protected status, including age.
• Consider taking out any sections of your application that disclose information about an applicant’s age. Removing the date that an applicant graduated or completed their degree is helpful. This can allow hiring managers to focus on the skills and experience an applicant brings to the table rather than their age.
• If you have to go through a layoff, ensure you don’t make any decisions based on age. You should focus only on two things during this process: making choices solely based on performance and the necessity of the position they hold. Even a seniority-based system is acceptable.

The takeaway and insurance
Often when the EEOC settles these cases, it will require the employer to sign a consent decree requiring them to implement age-discrimination training for hiring managers.  You shouldn’t wait for an order by the agency to do the same.
Finally: In the event you are sued for age discrimination, if you have in a place an employment practices liability policy, it may cover your legal costs and any potential settlements or verdicts.
Besides age discrimination, these policies will cover a host of other lawsuits by employees.

RECENT CASES

• In March 2023, Fischer Connectors settled with the EEOC for $460,000 over accusations that the manufacturer fired a human resources director and replaced her with two younger workers after she had spoken up about company plans to replace other older workers.
• In September 2023, two former IBM human resources employees who were both over 60, sued IBM after they were terminated, alleging age discrimination.
• Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences agreed to pay $90,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that it discriminated against a 49-year-old job applicant based on his age after it had turned him down for a medical sales rep position in favor of a 41-year-old.
• A 52-year-old woman sued a Palm Beach restaurant, alleging violations of the ADEA and the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992. She claims that after working for 10 years as a seasonal server, she was terminated on the grounds that the restaurant was moving to year-round employment, yet continued to hire young seasonal workers.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY owners throughout California are getting hit with significant insurance rate hikes and non-renewal notices as a confluence of factors reverberate through the market.

The commercial property insurance industry is struggling with years of losses after paying out billions of dollars annually for increasingly costly and numerous wildfire claims in California and other natural disasters around the country.
While massive costs dominate the conversation, there is another factor that is contributing just as much to rising insurer costs: The role of reinsurance.

Reinsurance explained

Just like you mitigate your risks by buying insurance, your insurance company does the same by purchasing reinsurance.
This coverage pays claims when they reach catastrophic levels or a certain threshold, like those from massive wildfires.
These arrangements call for the reinsurer to cover the cost of claims for a certain region or for a certain risk, like wildfires or hurricanes. Each reinsurance treaty is different and they are often tailor-written for individual insurance companies.

Without reinsurers taking on a good portion of catastrophic claims, insurance rates would be much higher than they are today. But that’s changing.
Reinsurers pay for a significant portion of any global catastrophe as they are the backstop for insurers around the world. And catastrophes have been growing in number and scope all over the planet.

During the first half of 2023, natural catastrophes caused $52 billion in insured damage globally, which is 18% higher than the average of $44 billion in the past 10 years and 39% higher than the 21st-century average of $38 billion, according to a report by Swiss Re.

The U.S. accounted for $34 billion of the world’s insured property losses in the first half. The nation also accounted for 13 of the 17 global natural catastrophe events that each caused more than $1 billion in insured losses, according to the report.

What reinsurers are doing

Raising rates – Reinsurance companies have been raising their rates significantly. A recent report on the trade news site Artemis.com said property catastrophe reinsurance rates had
seen a substantial average increase of approximately 30% during July 1 renewals.

Reconsidering where they provide coverage – Reinsurers have also started pulling back from covering properties in areas or regions that are at higher risk for natural disasters, particularly California and Florida, the latter due to increasingly costly hurricane damage and the former due to the increasing wildfire risk.
When reinsurers pull back, the primary insurers often have to take on more of the risk themselves.

Changing terms – Reinsurers are taking on less risk than they have in the past by raising attachment points, forcing primary insurers to take on more of the cost of claims.
Reinsurers are changing conditions for paying claims, getting more stringent in their definitions of various catastrophic events and triggers for paying claims.

The takeaway

While this hard reinsurance market continues, there is hope that rates will stabilize in the future bringing relief to insurers, and more importantly: You.
Both reinsurers and insurers are struggling to catch up with increasing costs and the “new normal.” Once they adapt, your premium may be more predictable.

FLEET OPERATORS face an increased risk of potential liability if they are not diligent about checking their drivers’ moving violation records with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, in addition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

As of 2020, it became mandatory that all motor carriers sign up their drivers in the Clearinghouse and run their driver rosters through the system to clear them for duty. But many companies are skipping this step and only checking their drivers’ records with the DMV, which may not reflect any suspensions issued by the Clearinghouse.

Clearinghouse rules require that drivers be tested for drugs prior to being hired and randomly throughout the year. This helps employers weed out drivers who may be at higher risk of both moving violations and accidents.

The Clearinghouse

The Clearinghouse was created to keep commercial drivers who have violated federal drug and alcohol rules from lying about those results and getting a job with another motor carrier.
This electronic database tracks commercial drivers’ license holders who have tested positive for prohibited drug or alcohol use, as well as refusals to take required drug tests, and other drug and alcohol violations.

The Clearinghouse tracks a driver’s drug and alcohol tests and bars them from operating commercial vehicles after they fail a test. If they want to return to driving, they must successfully pass a return-to-duty process that includes substance abuse treatment and a test to evaluate their readiness.

The restriction can be lifted if the driver signs up for a Clearinghouse program that will test them 14 times in two years, with the first 12 tests having to occur in the first year.
This cost all comes out of the driver’s pocket.
This system is an important check on drivers and helps employers reduce their exposure.
The Department of Motor Vehicles is required to check the Clearinghouse before issuing a new or renewing a commercial driver’s license.

The takeaway

While it is the law that employers follow Clearinghouse procedures, because it’s a new system, many companies are failing to follow the rules.
If you are relying only on pulling a driver’s moving violation record and not the Clearinghouse, you are in breach of regulations and could leave your firm exposed.
If you employ a driver who is under suspension from driving by the Clearinghouse and they are involved in an accident, the victims could build a case that your organization was negligent in letting the individual drive and not checking the Clearinghouse first.
If they can prove negligence on a fleet operator’s part, the business could be in for a hefty court judgment.

Cal OSHA has proposed its long-awaited indoor heat illness prevention standard as increasingly hot summers are affecting workers in indoor spaces like warehouses, production operations,
restaurants and more.
The proposed standard, largely based on the state agency’s outdoor regulations, will require employers whose workplaces at times are at least 82 degrees to have a written Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Plan.
The standard, once it takes effect, will affect employers throughout the state and many will have to take steps and invest in equipment and planning to ensure compliance. The preventative measure to which most employers will likely resort is air-conditioning.
The Standards Board wrote in its proposal, according to the Cal-OSHA Reporter trade publication: “There is likely to be a particular need to reduce temperatures in large warehouses, manufacturing and production facilities, greenhouses, and wholesale and retail distribution centers.”
Other facilities that would likely also need to install HVAC units include restaurant kitchens and dry cleaners. They may also need to improve air circulation in their operations.
Under the proposal, the following regulations apply to a workplace where the indoor temperature exceeds 82 degrees.

Access to drinking water

Employers are required to provide access to potable water that is fresh, suitably cool, and free of charge.
It must be located as close as practicable to the work area, as well as indoor cool-down areas where employees can rest. If an employer doesn’t provide water continuously, it will be required to provide at least one quart per hour per employee per shift.
Employers should encourage frequent water consumption.

Access to cool-down areas

Employers must provide at least one cool-down area during shifts, and grant a cool-down break to staff who ask for one.
Workers taking cool-down breaks shall be monitored and asked to stay in the area if they are experiencing heat illness symptoms. As long as symptoms persist, they may not be ordered back to the work they were doing.

Control measures

Employers can implement a number of measures to protect their workers:
Engineering controls – This can include barriers between heat sources and employees, isolating hot processes from workers, air-conditioning, cooling fans, mist fans, swamp coolers, ventilation, etc.
Administrative controls – This can include limiting exposure by adjusting work procedures, practices, or schedules (working during cooler periods, using work/rest schedules, or reducing the speed of work).
Personal heat-protective equipment – This could include water- and air-cooled garments, cooling vests, and more.

Emergency response procedures

Employers will need to develop and have in place emergency response procedures that workers and supervisors can follow in case they are experiencing heat illness.

Acclimation steps

Employees should be closely observed during heat waves, and new workers must be closely observed during their first 14 days of work to ensure they are acclimating.

Training

Employees and supervisors will need to be trained on:

• Personal risk factors for heat illness.
• Their employer’s procedures for complying with the regulation.
• The importance of frequent water consumption.
• The importance of acclimation.
• Signs and symptoms of heat illness, and first aid or emergency response procedures.

A NEW STATE law that allows for digital license plates to be installed on vehicles in California, may have created a privacy nightmare for employers.
The Motor Vehicle Digital Number Plates Act, which took effect Jan. 1, enables fleet and commercial vehicle owners to purchase and install digital license plates and soon-to-be-approved alternative devices for tags, stickers, tabs, and registration codes that can track vehicles and make registration easier.
The new law has significant implications for fleet and commercial vehicle owners that want to track vehicles using a digital license plate or alternative GPS device, and they will need to follow the law’s driver disclosure requirements to avoid fines.

What employers can and can’t do

The law allows fleet and commercial vehicle owners to track vehicles through the digital license plate as long as it is “strictly necessary for the performance of the employee’s duties.” Employers may only monitor them during work hours.
If you choose to monitor employees, you are required to provide them with a notice, which under AB 984 must – at a minimum – include the following:

• A description of the activities that will be monitored.
• A description of the worker data that will be collected.
• A notification of whether the data gathered through monitoring will be used to make or inform any employment-related decisions, including disciplinary and termination decisions.
• A description of the vendors or other third parties, if any, to which information collected through monitoring will be disclosed or transferred.
• Names of personnel authorized to access the data.
• Dates, times, and frequency of monitoring.
• Where the data will be stored and for how long.
• A notification of employees’ rights to disable monitoring, including vehicle location technology, outside of work hours.

Firms that violate the law can be subject to:

• Civil penalties of $250 for the initial violation, and
• $1,000 per employee for each subsequent violation.

For subsequent violations, penalties will be calculated per employee, per violation, and per day an employer monitors its workers without proper notice.

The takeaway

With potential civil penalties at stake, employers that want to use these plates should tread carefully, legal experts say.
If you want to use them, you should revise your employee handbook to include the required notice. Additionally, if you plan to monitor employees using these plates, ensure you get their signatures on the disclosure form.
Be aware that you may need to comply with other legal requirements to protect your employees’ privacy, including how you handle, store, and convey data from the plates.

 

A U.S. COURT of Appeals has struck down a landmark California law that prohibits employers from requiring their workers to sign agreements to arbitrate any disputes arising from their employment.
The ruling clears the way for employers to continue using arbitration agreements without risking criminal liability that the law – AB 51 – calls for. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2020, but after a coalition of employers led by the California Chamber of Commerce sued to block the measure’s implementation, a lower-court judge issued a temporary restraining order, halting enforcement until the matter could be resolved by the courts.
Arbitration agreements usually require both the employer and employee to submit any employment-related disputes to arbitration, rather than to the traditional court process. They are designed to reduce tension and save both parties money and time.
The Chamber said the Feb. 15, 2023 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidating the law was a win for the state’s employers. The business advocacy group had asserted that the law contradicted federal legislation and would result in increased litigation and higher costs for employers and workers alike.
The ruling by the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction order and holding that AB 51 is preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).

What did AB 51 require?

The law made it a criminal misdemeanor for an employer to require an existing employee or a job applicant to sign an arbitration agreement as a condition of employment.
However, due to a quirk in the law, even though an employer could be subject to criminal prosecution if it required employees to sign arbitration agreements, the contracts, if signed, would still be enforceable.
The law was written in this way to avoid conflicting with the FAA. But in the end, the court opined that AB 51 was preempted by the federal law after all.

The takeaway

The ruling paves the way for employers to continue using arbitration agreements with employees in the Golden State. That said, if you are using such agreements or plan to, you should consult with your legal counsel to ensure your agreement is up to date.
If the case is not appealed, the court’s opinion will likely lead to the law being nullified.
But an appeal would be an uphill battle, legal observers say. “SCOTUS (the U.S. Supreme Court) has clearly said that state rules burdening the formation of arbitration agreements are at odds with the FAA,” the law firm of Fisher Phillips wrote in a blog about the ruling.
One important note: The Ninth Circuit’s decision does not affect the federal Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, which gives employees the right to opt for arbitration agreements and class- or collective-action waivers if they are making sexual assault or sexual harassment claims.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY insurance rates are continuing to climb, as the segment faces a number of headwinds that have pushed claims costs to new heights.
A number of factors are affecting rates, including the frequency and severity of extreme weather claims. the cost of rebuilding, rates for commercial properties not keeping pace with claims costs, and more.
The end result has been a steady increase in property rates across the board, but businesses with operations in areas that are more susceptible to natural disasters are seeing the highest
increases.
As a business owner with commercial property, you’ve probably already seen rates increase, and you should be prepared for further rate hikes in the coming year. Here are the main drivers of these increases.

 

Mounting natural catastrophes

The number of natural catastrophes hitting the U.S. continues increasing as does the cost of those disasters, which are affecting more properties around the country.
Depending on the part of the nation a property is located it can be exposed to hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, hail, flooding and more.
There has also been an increase in civil unrest, which often results in property damage to businesses.
Insured property losses in the U.S. hit $74.4 billion in 2020, the second-most expensive year on record.
Also, last year set the record for the most major natural catastrophe events to hit the U.S. in a single year (22 of them).
Five of the 10 most expensive catastrophe years for the insurance industry have occurred since 2011.

 

Reconstruction costs

Reconstruction costs have skyrocketed during the past five years, averaging 5% a year, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Lumber prices rose by 73% between April 2020 and July 2021, greatly increasing rebuilding costs. On top of that, iron and steel products jumped 15% in price during the same period, and steel mill products by nearly 7%.

 

Construction labor shortage

The construction industry faces a serious labor crunch. And many firms have backlogs that stretch out more than six months.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index, this shortage is leading to real-world setbacks for contractors:

• 68% of contractors say they are asking workers to do more work.
• 56% report a challenge in meeting project schedules.
• 50% of contractors are putting in higher bids.
• Over a third (35%) report turning down work due to skilled labor shortages.

 

Property rates are inadequate

Despite the fact that rates have been increasing for the last five years, insurers are still struggling to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of claims as well as the number of claims they are seeing.
Those factors have made it difficult for the industry to peg pricing at the right level, resulting in a string of losses in property insurance for most carriers.
As the industry struggles to get back to profitability, insurers will have to continue boosting rates.

 

Reinsurance rates

A portion of the property insurance rate gains can be attributed to insurance companies dealing with higher reinsurance costs.
Insurers buy reinsurance to pass on claims costs from catastrophic events, in order to reduce their overall risk.

 

The takeaway

There are some steps that businesses can take to try to affect their premiums.
If you have an older building, you can replace your mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems with newer, code-compliant variants.
Safeguard your building against location-specific hazards (for example, creating a defensible space and using fire-resistant roofing in wildfire areas and upgraded cladding in hurricane areas).
Also, electrical fires are the number-one cause of property damage, so you should consider installing fire-protection systems such as sprinklers and fire hose cabinets.

BESIDES THE health and economic devastation that the COVID-19 pandemic has left in its wake, it has also caused supply chain disruptions that have affected a number of industries.

The fallout for companies of all types illustrates the fragility of most businesses’ supply chains. The pandemic has left retailers with half-empty shelf space because product manufacturers couldn’t keep operations going due to raw material or personnel shortages, while a number of carmakers and other manufacturers have had to suspend operations because of a global semiconductor shortage.

But it’s not only large companies that suffer, and small businesses are especially vulnerable. That’s why it’s important that you have in place a solid plan for averting and dealing with disruptions to your supply chain if you rely on materials and inputs from outside vendors.

Here’s what you can do to manage this growing risk.

Understand your supply chain

Start by identifying risks in your supply chain and develop ways to mitigate them.

FOUR MAIN EXTERNAL SUPPLY CHAIN RISKS

• Flow interruptions – Problems with the movement of goods and materials.
• Environmental risks – Economic, social, political, terrorism threat and weather-related factors that affect facilities and infrastructure. The pandemic falls into this category.
• Business risks – Problems caused by factors like a supplier’s poor financial or general stability, or the purchase or sale of supplier companies by other entities.
• Physical plant risks – Problems at a supplier’s facility. For example, a key supplier could have a machinery breakdown and/or regulators may shut the facility down.

 

Develop a plan

The best way to manage a supply chain disruption is to prepare for it. Start by undertaking a business impact analysis to prepare your company.

Form a team of key personnel to:

• Identify alternatives to key suppliers. One option is to contract with an alternative vendor in advance, so you can certify them and ensure they can ramp up if you lose a critical supplier.
• Model the impact of disruptions on your production and inventory for the four supply chain risks listed to the left. Think about how non-delivery of a key item
  would affect your operations.

Using that information, you can build contingencies for supply chain failures:

• Plan for how you would respond to all “what if” scenarios that could affect your operations. Be realistic about assessing your capacity to respond to these scenarios.
• Create a contingency plan for failure of any supply chain pillars. Identify the points at which you would need to execute risk-mitigating measures, like sourcing from other vendors or using new distribution channels.
• In advance, amass a contingency management team that will bridge the divide between your departments during disruptions. This team must include senior
  staff who are influential with top company decision-makers.
• Make sure your supply chain is flexible enough to deal with risks. Look at opportunities to address current supply chain bottlenecks; investigate alternative transportation network configurations or production systems.

 

The final backstop: insurance

You can address supply chain risks with business interruption insurance or contingent business interruption insurance.

Business interruption insurance.
This coverage, which is often included in a commercial property policy, covers lost profits after a company’s own facility is damaged by an insured peril.

Contingent business interruption insurance. This is often a policy rider that you can purchase. It covers lost profits if an insured peril shuts down a critical supplier, part of the transportation or distribution chain, or a major customer.

This coverage is triggered if there is:
1. Damage to property that prevents one of your suppliers from making products or delivering them.
2. Damage to property that prevents your customers from receiving your products.

On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 directing all residents immediately to heed current State public health directives to stay home, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructure sectors and additional sectors as the State Public Health Officer may designate as critical to protect health and well-being of all Californians.
In accordance with this order, the State Public Health Officer has designated the following list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” to help state, local, tribal, and industry partners as they work to protect communities while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.

Note:  Employees have 14 days to file and the employer has 30 days to respond.  The new rules apply to workers who tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of performing work, or those who received a diagnosis within 14 days that was confirmed by a positive test no more than 30 days later. Employers have 30 days to rebut a claim.

 

HEALTHCARE / PUBLIC HEALTH
Sector Profile
The Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector is large, diverse, and open, spanning both the public and private sectors. It includes publicly accessible healthcare facilities, research centers, suppliers, manufacturers, and other physical assets and vast, complex public-private information technology systems required for care delivery and to support the rapid, secure transmission and storage of large amounts of HPH data.

Essential Workforce
• Workers providing COVID-19 testing; Workers that perform critical clinical research needed for COVID-19 response.
• Health care providers and caregivers (e.g., physicians, dentists, psychologists, mid-level practitioners, nurses and assistants, infection control and quality assurance personnel, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists and assistants, social workers, speech pathologists and diagnostic and therapeutic technicians and technologists).
• Hospital and laboratory personnel (including accounting, administrative, admitting and discharge, engineering, epidemiological, source plasma and blood donation, food service, housekeeping, medical records, information technology and operational technology, nutritionists, sanitarians, respiratory therapists, etc.).
• Workers in other medical facilities (including Ambulatory Health and Surgical, Blood Banks, Clinics, Community Mental Health, Comprehensive Outpatient rehabilitation, End Stage Renal Disease, Health Departments, Home Health care, Hospices, Hospitals, Long Term Care, Organ Pharmacies, Procurement Organizations, Psychiatric, Residential, Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers, cannabis retailers).
• Manufacturers, technicians, logistics and warehouse operators, and distributors of medical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical gases, pharmaceuticals, blood and blood products, vaccines, testing materials, laboratory supplies, cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting or sterilization supplies, personal care/hygiene products, and tissue and paper towel products.

• Public health/community health workers, including those who compile, model, analyze, and communicate public health information.
• Behavioral health workers (including mental and substance use disorder) responsible for coordination, outreach, engagement, and treatment to individuals in need of mental health and/or substance use disorder services.
• Blood and plasma donors and the employees of the organizations that operate and manage related activities.
• Workers that manage health plans, billing, and health information, who cannot practically work remotely.
• Workers who conduct community-based public health functions, conducting epidemiologic surveillance, compiling, analyzing and communicating public health information, who cannot practically work remotely.
• Workers who provide support to vulnerable populations to ensure their health and well-being including family care providers
• Workers performing cybersecurity functions at healthcare and public health facilities, who cannot practically work remotely.
• Workers conducting research critical to COVID-19 response.
• Workers performing security, incident management, and emergency operations functions at or on behalf of healthcare entities including healthcare coalitions, who cannot practically work remotely.
• Workers who support food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, such as those residing in shelters.
• Pharmacy employees necessary for filling prescriptions.
• Workers performing mortuary services, including funeral homes, crematoriums, and cemetery workers.
• Workers who coordinate with other organizations to ensure the proper recovery, handling, identification, transportation, tracking, storage, and disposal of human remains and personal effects; certify the cause of death; and facilitate access to behavioral health services to the family members, responders, and survivors of an incident.
• Workers supporting veterinary hospitals and clinics

EMERGENCY SERVICES SECTOR
Sector Profile
The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) is a community of highly-skilled, trained personnel, along with the physical and cyber resources, that provide a wide range of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery services during both day-to-day operations and incident response. The ESS includes geographically distributed facilities and equipment in both paid and volunteer capacities organized primarily at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels of government, such as city police departments and fire stations, county sheriff’s offices, Department of Defense police and fire departments, and town public works departments. The ESS also includes private sector resources, such as industrial fire departments, private security organizations, and private emergency medical services providers.

Essential Workforce – Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and First Responders
• Including front line and management, personnel include emergency management, law enforcement, Emergency Management Systems, fire, and corrections, search and rescue, tactical teams including maritime, aviation, and canine units.
• Emergency Medical Technicians
• Public Safety Answering Points and 911 call center employees
• Fusion Center employees
• Fire Mitigation Activities
• Hazardous material responders and hazardous devices teams, from government and the private sector.
• Workers – including contracted vendors — who maintain digital systems infrastructure supporting law enforcement and emergency service operations.
• Private security, private fire departments, and private emergency medical services personnel.
• County workers responding to abuse and neglect of children, elders, and dependent adults.
• Animal control officers and humane officers

Essential Workforce – Public Works
• Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential dams, locks, and levees
• Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, construction material suppliers, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues
• Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.
• Support, such as road and line clearing, to ensure the availability of needed facilities, transportation, energy, and communications support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Sector Profile
The Food and Agricultural (FA) Sector is composed of complex production, processing, and delivery systems and has the capacity to feed people and animals both within and beyond the boundaries of the United States. Beyond domestic food production, the FA Sector also imports many ingredients and finished products, leading to a complex web of growers, processors, suppliers, transporters, distributors, and consumers. This sector is critical to maintaining and securing our food supply.

Essential Workforce
• Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies, and other retail that sells food and beverage products, including but not limited to Grocery stores, Corner stores and convenience stores, including liquor stores that sell food, Farmers’ markets, Food banks, Farm and produce stands, Supermarkets, Similar food retail establishments, Big box stores that sell groceries and essentials
• Restaurant carry-out and quick-serve food operations – including food preparation, carry-out, and delivery food employees
• Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees—to include those employed in food processing (packers, meat processing, cheese plants, milk plants, produce, etc.) facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet and animal feed processing facilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging
• Farmworkers to include those employed in animal food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor needed to produce our food supply domestically
• Farmworkers and support service workers to include those who field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; storage facilities; and other agricultural inputs
• Employees and firms supporting food, feed, and beverage distribution (including curbside distribution and deliveries), including warehouse workers, vendor-managed inventory controllers, blockchain managers, distribution
• Workers supporting the sanitation of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail
• Company cafeterias – in-plant cafeterias used to feed employees
• Workers in food testing labs in private industries and in institutions of higher education
• Workers essential for assistance programs and government payments
• Workers supporting cannabis retail and dietary supplement retail
• Employees of companies engaged in the production of chemicals, medicines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids
• Animal agriculture workers to include those employed in veterinary health; manufacturing and distribution of animal medical materials, animal vaccines, animal drugs, feed ingredients, feed, and bedding, etc.; transportation of live animals, animal medical materials; transportation of deceased animals for disposal; raising of animals for food; animal production operations; slaughter and packing plants and associated regulatory and government workforce
• Workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products, including, but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood products
• Employees engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary to agricultural production and distribution

ENERGY
Sector Profile
The Energy Sector consists of widely-diverse and geographically-dispersed critical assets and systems that are often interdependent of one another. This critical infrastructure is divided into three interrelated segments or subsectors—electricity, oil, and natural gas—to include the production, refining, storage, and distribution of oil, gas, and electric power, except for hydroelectric and commercial nuclear power facilities and pipelines. The Energy Sector supplies fuels to the transportation industry, electricity to households and businesses, and other sources of energy that are integral to growth and production across the Nation. In turn, it depends on the Nation’s transportation, information technology, communications, finance, water, and government infrastructures.

Essential Workforce – Electricity industry:
• Workers who maintain, ensure, or restore the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power, including call centers, utility workers, reliability engineers and fleet maintenance technicians
• Workers needed for safe and secure operations at nuclear generation
• Workers at generation, transmission, and electric blackstart facilities
• Workers at Reliability Coordinator (RC), Balancing Authorities (BA), and primary and backup Control Centers (CC), including but not limited to independent system operators, regional transmission organizations, and balancing authorities
• Mutual assistance personnel
• IT and OT technology staff – for EMS (Energy Management Systems) and Supervisory Control and Data
• Acquisition (SCADA) systems, and utility data centers; Cybersecurity engineers; cybersecurity risk management
• Vegetation management crews and traffic workers who support
• Environmental remediation/monitoring technicians
• Instrumentation, protection, and control technicians

Essential Workforce – Petroleum workers:
• Petroleum product storage, pipeline, marine transport, terminals, rail transport, road transport
• Crude oil storage facilities, pipeline, and marine transport
• Petroleum refinery facilities
• Petroleum security operations center employees and workers who support emergency response services
• Petroleum operations control rooms/centers
• Petroleum drilling, extraction, production, processing, refining, terminal operations, transporting, and retail for use as end-use fuels or feedstocks for chemical manufacturing
• Onshore and offshore operations for maintenance and emergency response
• Retail fuel centers such as gas stations and truck stops, and the distribution systems that support them.

Essential Workforce – Natural and propane gas workers:
• Natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines, including compressor stations
• Underground storage of natural gas
• Natural gas processing plants, and those that deal with natural gas liquids
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities
• Natural gas security operations center, natural gas operations dispatch and control rooms/centers natural gas emergency response and customer emergencies, including natural gas leak calls
• Drilling, production, processing, refining, and transporting natural gas for use as end-use fuels, feedstocks for chemical manufacturing, or use in electricity generation
• Propane gas dispatch and control rooms and emergency response and customer emergencies, including propane leak calls
• Propane gas service maintenance and restoration, including call centers
• Processing, refining, and transporting natural liquids, including propane gas, for use as end-use fuels or feedstocks for chemical manufacturing
• Propane gas storage, transmission, and distribution centers

WATER AND WASTEWATER
Sector Profile
The Water and Wastewater Sector is a complex sector composed of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure of varying sizes and ownership types. Multiple governing authorities pertaining to the Water and Wastewater Sector provide for public health, environmental protection, and security measures, among others.

Essential Workforce
Employees needed to operate and maintain drinking water and wastewater/drainage infrastructure, including:
• Operational staff at water authorities
• Operational staff at community water systems
• Operational staff at wastewater treatment facilities
• Workers repairing water and wastewater conveyances and performing required sampling or monitoring
• Operational staff for water distribution and testing
• Operational staff at wastewater collection facilities
• Operational staff and technical support for SCADA Control systems
• Chemical disinfectant suppliers for wastewater and personnel protection
• Workers that maintain digital systems infrastructure supporting water and wastewater operations

TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS
Sector Profile
The Transportation Systems Sector consists of seven key subsectors, or modes:
– Aviation includes aircraft, air traffic control systems, and airports, heliports, and landing strips. Commercial aviation services at civil and joint-use military airports, heliports, and seaplane bases. In addition, the aviation mode includes commercial and recreational aircraft (manned and unmanned) and a wide variety of support services, such as aircraft repair stations, fueling facilities, navigation aids, and flight schools.
– Highway and Motor Carrier encompasses roadway, bridges, and tunnels. Vehicles include trucks, including those carrying hazardous materials; other commercial vehicles, including commercial motorcoaches and school buses; vehicle and driver licensing systems; taxis, transportation services including Transportation Network Companies, and delivery services including Delivery Network Companies; traffic management systems; AND cyber systems used for operational management.
– Maritime Transportation System consists of coastline, ports, waterways, and intermodal landside connections that allow the various modes of transportation to move people and goods to, from, and on the water.
– Mass Transit and Passenger Rail includes terminals, operational systems, and supporting infrastructure for passenger services by transit buses, trolleybuses, monorail, heavy rail—also known as subways or metros—light rail, passenger rail, and vanpool/rideshare.
– Pipeline Systems consist of pipelines carrying natural gas hazardous liquids, as well as various chemicals. Above-ground assets, such as compressor stations and pumping stations, are also included.
– Freight Rail consists of major carriers, smaller railroads, active railroad, freight cars, and locomotives.
– Postal and Shipping includes large integrated carriers, regional and local courier services, mail services, mail management firms, and chartered and delivery services.

Essential Workforce
• Employees supporting or enabling transportation functions, including dispatchers, maintenance and repair technicians, warehouse workers, truck stop and rest area workers, and workers that maintain and inspect infrastructure (including those that require cross-border travel)
• Employees of firms providing services that enable logistics operations, including cooling, storing, packaging, and distributing products for wholesale or retail sale or use.
• Mass transit workers
• Taxis, transportation services including Transportation Network Companies, and delivery services including Delivery Network Companies
• Workers responsible for operating dispatching passenger, commuter and freight trains and maintaining rail infrastructure and equipment
• Maritime transportation workers – port workers, mariners, equipment operators
• Truck drivers who haul hazardous and waste materials to support critical infrastructure, capabilities, functions, and services
• Automotive repair and maintenance facilities
• Manufacturers and distributors (to include service centers and related operations) of packaging materials, pallets, crates, containers, and other supplies needed to support manufacturing, packaging staging, and distribution operations
• Postal and shipping workers, to include private companies
• Employees who repair and maintain vehicles, aircraft, rail equipment, marine vessels, and the equipment and infrastructure that enables operations that encompass the movement of cargo and passengers
• Air transportation employees, including air traffic controllers, ramp personnel, aviation security, and aviation management
• Workers who support the maintenance and operation of cargo by air transportation, including flight crews, maintenance, airport operations, and other on- and off-airport facilities workers

COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Sector Profile
The Communications Sector provides products and services that support the efficient operation of today’s global information-based society. Communication networks enable people around the world to contact one another, access information instantly, and communicate from remote areas. This involves creating a link between a sender (including voice signals) and one or more recipients using technology (e.g., a telephone system or the Internet) to transmit information from one location to another. Technologies are changing at a rapid pace, increasing the number of products, services, service providers, and communication options. The national communications architecture is a complex collection of networks that are owned and operated by individual service providers. Many of this sector’s products and services are foundational or necessary for the operations and services provided by other critical infrastructure sectors. The nature of communication networks involve both physical infrastructure (buildings, switches, towers, antennas, etc.) and cyberinfrastructure (routing and switching software, operational support systems, user applications, etc.), representing a holistic challenge to address the entire physical-cyber infrastructure.
The IT sector provides products and services that support the efficient operation of today’s global information-based society and are integral to the operations and services provided by other critical infrastructure Sectors. The IT Sector is comprised of small and medium businesses, as well as large multinational companies. Unlike many critical infrastructure Sectors composed of finite and easily identifiable physical assets, the IT Sector is a function-based Sector that comprises not only physical assets but also virtual systems and networks that enable key capabilities and services in both the public and private sectors.

Essential Workforce – Communications:
• Maintenance of communications infrastructure- including privately owned and maintained communication systems- supported by technicians, operators, call-centers, wireline and wireless providers, cable service providers, satellite operations, undersea cable landing stations, Internet Exchange Points, and manufacturers and distributors of communications equipment
• Workers who support radio, television, and media service, including, but not limited to front line news reporters, studio, and technicians for newsgathering and reporting
• Workers at Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations, and Network Operations staff, engineers and/or technicians to manage the network or operate facilities
• Engineers, technicians and associated personnel responsible for infrastructure construction and restoration, including contractors for construction and engineering of fiber optic cables
• Installation, maintenance and repair technicians that establish, support or repair service as needed
• Central office personnel to maintain and operate central office, data centers, and other network office facilities
• Customer service and support staff, including managed and professional services as well as remote providers of support to transitioning employees to set up and maintain home offices, who interface with customers to manage or support service environments and security issues, including payroll, billing, fraud, and troubleshooting
• Dispatchers involved with service repair and restoration

Essential Workforce – Information Technology:
• Workers who support command centers, including, but not limited to Network Operations Command Center, Broadcast Operations Control Center and Security Operations Command Center
• Data center operators, including system administrators, HVAC & electrical engineers, security personnel, IT managers, data transfer solutions engineers, software and hardware engineers, and database administrators
• Client service centers, field engineers, and other technicians supporting critical infrastructure, as well as manufacturers and supply chain vendors that provide hardware and software, and information technology equipment (to include microelectronics and semiconductors) for critical infrastructure
• Workers responding to cyber incidents involving critical infrastructure, including medical facilities, SLTT governments and federal facilities, energy and utilities, and banks and financial institutions, and other critical infrastructure categories and personnel
• Workers supporting the provision of essential global, national and local infrastructure for computing services (incl. cloud computing services), business infrastructure, web-based services, and critical manufacturing
• Workers supporting communications systems and information technology used by law enforcement, public safety, medical, energy and other critical industries
• Support required for continuity of services, including janitorial/cleaning personnel

OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Essential Workforce
• Critical government workers, as defined by the employer and consistent with Continuity of Operations Plans and Continuity of Government plans.
• County workers responsible for determining eligibility for safety net benefits
• The Courts, consistent with guidance released by the California Chief Justice
• Workers to ensure continuity of building functions
• Security staff to maintain building access control and physical security measures
• Elections personnel
• Federal, State, and Local, Tribal, and Territorial employees who support Mission Essential Functions and communications networks
• Trade Officials (FTA negotiators; international data flow administrators)
• Weather forecasters
• Workers that maintain digital systems infrastructure supporting other critical government operations
• Workers at operations centers necessary to maintain other essential functions
• Workers who support necessary credentialing, vetting and licensing operations for transportation workers
• Workers who are critical to facilitating trade in support of the national, state, and local emergency response supply chain
• Workers supporting public and private childcare establishments, pre-K establishments, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of distance learning, provision of school meals, or care and supervision of minors to support essential workforce across all sectors
• Workers and instructors supporting academies and training facilities and courses for the purpose of graduating students and cadets that comprise the essential workforce for all identified critical sectors
• Hotel Workers where hotels are used for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, including measures to protect homeless populations.
• Construction Workers who support the construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of construction sites and construction projects (including housing construction)
• Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, construction material sources, and essential operation of construction sites and construction projects (including those that support such projects to ensure the availability of needed facilities, transportation, energy and communications; and support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste)
• Commercial Retail Stores, that supply essential sectors, including convenience stores, pet supply stores, auto supplies and repair, hardware and home improvement, and home appliance retailers • Workers supporting the entertainment industries, studios, and other related establishments, provided they follow covid-19 public health guidance around social distancing. • Workers critical to operating Rental Car companies that facilitate continuity of operations for essential workforces, and other essential travel
• Workers that provide or determine eligibility for food, shelter, in-home supportive services, child welfare, adult protective services and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals (including family members)
• Professional services, such as legal or accounting services, when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities and critical sector services
• Faith-based services that are provided through streaming or other technology • Laundromats and laundry services
• Workers at animal care facilities that provide food, shelter, veterinary and/or routine care and other necessities of life for animals.

CRITICAL MANUFACTURING
Sector Profile
The Critical Manufacturing Sector identifies several industries to serve as the core of the sector: Primary Metals Manufacturing, Machinery Manufacturing, Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Products made by these manufacturing industries are essential to many other critical infrastructure sectors.

Essential Workforce
• Workers necessary for the manufacturing of materials and products needed for medical supply chains, transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture, chemical manufacturing, nuclear facilities, the operation of dams, water and wastewater treatment, emergency services, and the defense industrial base.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Essential Workforce
• Workers at nuclear facilities, workers managing medical waste, workers managing waste from pharmaceuticals and medical material production, and workers at laboratories processing test kits
• Workers who support hazardous materials response and cleanup
• Workers who maintain digital systems infrastructure supporting hazardous materials management operations

FINANCIAL SERVICES
Sector Profile
The Financial Services Sector includes thousands of depository institutions, providers of investment products, insurance companies, other credit and financing organizations, and the providers of the critical financial utilities and services that support these functions. Financial institutions vary widely in size and presence, ranging from some of the world’s largest global companies with thousands of employees and many billions of dollars in assets to community banks and credit unions with a small number of employees serving individual communities. Whether an individual savings account, financial derivatives, credit extended to a large organization, or investments made to a foreign country, these products allow customers to: Deposit funds and make payments to other parties; Provide credit and liquidity to customers; Invest funds for both long and short periods; Transfer financial risks between customers.

Essential Workforce
• Workers who are needed to process and maintain systems for processing financial transactions and services (e.g., payment, clearing, and settlement; wholesale funding; insurance services; and capital markets activities)
• Workers who are needed to provide consumer access to banking and lending services, including ATMs, and to move currency and payments (e.g., armored cash carriers)
• Workers who support financial operations, such as those staffing data and security operations centers

CHEMICAL
Sector Profile
The Chemical Sector—composed of a complex, global supply chain—converts various raw materials into diverse products that are essential to modern life. Based on the end product produced, the sector can be divided into five main segments, each of which has distinct characteristics, growth dynamics, markets, new developments, and issues: Basic chemicals; Specialty chemicals; Agricultural chemicals; Pharmaceuticals; Consumer products

Essential Workforce
• Workers supporting the chemical and industrial gas supply chains, including workers at chemical manufacturing plants, workers in laboratories, workers at distribution facilities, workers who transport basic raw chemical materials to the producers of industrial and consumer goods, including hand sanitizers, food and food additives, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and paper products.
• Workers supporting the safe transportation of chemicals, including those supporting tank truck cleaning facilities and workers who manufacture packaging items
• Workers supporting the production of protective cleaning and medical solutions, personal protective equipment, and packaging that prevents the contamination of food, water, medicine, among others essential products
• Workers supporting the operation and maintenance of facilities (particularly those with high risk chemicals and/ or sites that cannot be shut down) whose work cannot be done remotely and requires the presence of highly trained personnel to ensure safe operations, including plant contract workers who provide inspections
• Workers who support the production and transportation of chlorine and alkali manufacturing, single-use plastics, and packaging that prevents the contamination or supports the continued manufacture of food, water, medicine, and other essential products, including glass container manufacturing

DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE
Sector Profile
The Defense Industrial Base Sector is the worldwide industrial complex that enables research and development, as well as design, production, delivery, and maintenance of military weapons systems, subsystems, and components or parts, to meet U.S. military requirements. The Defense Industrial Base partnership consists of Department of Defense components, Defense Industrial Base companies and their subcontractors who perform under contract to the Department of Defense, companies providing incidental materials and services to the Department of Defense, and government-owned/contractor-operated and government-owned/government-operated facilities. Defense Industrial Base companies include domestic and foreign entities, with production assets located in many countries. The sector provides products and services that are essential to mobilize, deploy, and sustain military operations.

Essential Workforce
• Workers who support the essential services required to meet national security commitments to the federal government and U.S. Military. These individuals include but are not limited to, aerospace; mechanical and software engineers, manufacturing/production workers; IT support; security staff; security personnel; intelligence support, aircraft and weapon system mechanics and maintainers
• Personnel working for companies, and their subcontractors, who perform under contract to the Department of Defense providing materials and services to the Department of Defense, and government-owned/contractor-operated and government-owned/government-operated facilities

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