SixFifty and Wilson Sonsini Launch Automated Legal Product to Help Employers Comply with California's New COVID-19 Regulations

New California OSHA standards require employers with one or more employees to adopt a Written COVID-19 Prevention Program that includes training and employee screening

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SixFifty Technologies

Dec 15, 2020, 05:00 ET

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Valley-based law firm Wilison Sonsini and its technology subsidiary, SixFifty, today released an automated legal product to help employers comply with new COVID-19 regulations issued by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA). On November 30, 2020, Cal/OSHA issued new requirements for employers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The new regulations require California employers to draft a written COVID-19 prevention plan, train employees on the new standards, screen and prevent sick employees from coming into the worksite, and promptly notify employees of COVID-19 cases at work, among other requirements. The regulations are effective immediately and apply to any organization that has employees in California.

SixFifty and Wilson Sonsini worked together to create an automated compliance solution for Cal/OSHA's new requirements that includes: (1) a compliance assessment that helps employers identify where to focus their efforts; (2) a written COVID-19 prevention plan in line with the regulatory requirements; (3) virtual employee trainings that explain the new standards; and (4) an employee screening system to prevent sick employees from entering the workplace.

"Cal/OSHA's new regulations have employers in California scrambling to comply," said Kimball Dean Parker, CEO of SixFifty. "We've worked around the clock with the expert employment law team at Wilson Sonsini to understand the new regulations and create an automated solution so employers can comply quickly and affordably."

SixFifty's automation platform walks businesses through a series of questions about their precaution regarding COVID-19. The automation system then takes those answers and produces a customized assessment, Written COVID-19 Prevention Program, and other compliance documentation that organizations need to be in compliance.

In addition to compliance documentation, SixFifty offers an online questionnaire system to help screen employees for COVID-19 as part of the organization's efforts to prevent sick employees from entering the workplace and putting others in the worksite at risk. Depending on the employee's answers, the questionnaire system automates responses and instructions to the employee about whether he or she can enter the worksite that day. Every action and communication in the questionnaire system is logged so that employers have a record of their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at work.

"Cal/OSHA's new regulations are among the most demanding in the United States," said Marina Tsatalis, employment law partner and the employment law practice group leader at Wilson Sonsini. "To avoid being fined by California regulators, employers need to have a documented plan in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employers should follow the new regulations as closely as possible."

SixFifty's Cal/OSHA Compliance Product is the latest in a series of tools SixFifty has released to help businesses and individuals cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, SixFifty released a free toolset to help businesses transition their employees to work remotely. In April, SixFifty released free tools for renters (www.hellolandlord.org) and homeowners (www.hellolender.org) to request forbearance as to monthly rent and mortgage payments, respectively, as permitted under the federal stimulus program then in effect. In May, SixFifty released a return-to-work product to help companies with transitioning employees back to the worksite. Tens of thousands of individuals and businesses have used SixFifty's tools since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

About SixFifty

Headquartered in the Silicon Slopes area of Utah, SixFifty is a subsidiary of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and combines the expertise of the world's leading technology law firm, made accessible through thoughtful technology. Led by a group of lawyers and software engineers that believe the law should be easier to navigate, SixFifty streamlines complex areas of the law by providing actionable, efficient and affordable solutions for individuals and businesses. For more information, please visit www.sixfifty.com.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For nearly 60 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin; Beijing; Boston; Brussels; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

Contact: Ransom Wydner, [email protected]

SOURCE SixFifty Technologies