ABSTRACT
Workplace exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has been a source of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, especially for ‘essential workers’, such as those employed in health care and meatpacking. Many family members of these workers also have become infected and died. If the employee’s exposure was the result of the employer’s negligence, the family member or the family member’s estate might be able to recover from the employer using the ‘take-home’ liability theory first developed in asbestos cases. This article discusses the elements of these cases and how they relate to workers’ compensation, OSHA enforcement, and other aspects of workplace safety and health protections.
Rothstein, Mark A and Irzyk, Julia, Employer Liability for ‘Take-Home’ COVID-19 (December 4, 2020). Forthcoming, 49 Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics (1) (2021).
First posted 2020-12-07 16:10:48
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