Emergency Preparedness Law

The Emergency Preparedness Law (EPL) requires public employers to adopt a plan for continuing operations and providing services in the event that a state disaster or emergency involving a communicable disease is declared.

Public employers are any government agency/entity- state, county, city, town or village.

Public schools that are defined under 2801-A of the education law are excluded from this law as they are required to implement a safety plan that is more strict than EPL requires. 

Public employers in New York state shall prepare a plan for the continuation of operations in the event of a declared public health emergency involving a communicable disease.

The plan will contain the following elements:

• A list, descriptions, and justification of positions and/or titles considered essential in the event of a state-ordered reduction of in-person staff.
• A description of the protocols employers will follow in order to enable all non-essential employees and contractors to telecommute as applicable to the workplace.
• A description of how the employer will stagger work shifts as applicable in order to reduce overcrowding on public transportation and worksites.
• A description of the protocol that will be implemented to procure the appropriate personal protective equipment for essential staff. Quantity needs be sufficient to give appropriate employees two pieces of each PPE deemed necessary.
• A description of the protocol for storage of personal protective equipment to prevent degradation and allow access in the event of an emergency.
• A protocol that will be followed in the event an employee is exposed or contracted a communicable disease that’s part of a public health emergency. The description will include the policies on disinfecting work areas and contact tracing procedures. It will also describe policies on leave for testing, treatment, quarantine or isolation.
• A protocol for employers to work with their locality in event emergency housing is needed to contain the spread.
• A mechanism to make the plan available to all employees and contractors, via handbooks or public posting digitally or physically.

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