LawCall: High Risk Employees

Attorney Tommy Siniard discusses employer responsibilities as to what they should provide to high risk employees during coronavirus.

Does a great job.

We appreciate you being on "lawline," teri.

>> sharon doviet: tommy is going to start with opening statements talking about high risk employees.

If i have an employee or i am the employee and i have concerns about health and safety during covid times and other times, what does an employer have to provide?

>> tommy siniard: there's a difference in maybe what they should provide and what they have to provide.

One of our political arguments is everything that has come down from the federal government has sort of been suggestions, you know, as opposed to mandates.

So there's no real mandate about social distancing within a workplace, etc., etc., etc.

But the best practice, as we know and we have heard is particularly if you have got somebody older like yours truly, and with comorbidities or preexisting conditions, you want to give that person more space.

I have to have that anyhow with my size, but more distance than six feet.

Everybody has got a tape measure out.

They don't know how this germ travels, and six feet is a minimum.

And, you know, masks in indoors, i think in an indoor setting, we require everybody in our office to wear a mask.

We have clients, they call, we open the door for them and let clients in one at a time.

We sit in a big conference room.

We keep our distance.

We have hand sanitizer.

So if you've got someone older with comorbidities or a higher risk, just more of that is my opinion.

But that is not a mandate of law per