Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Supplemental Poster

Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster

Help satisfy Colorado workplace posting requirements with the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster. This required notice explains employee rights under the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) and worker protections under Colorado's health and safety whistleblower law (PHEW).

Poster Specifications

• Size: 17"W x 11"H
• Orientation: Landscape
• Language: Available in English or Spanish
• Format: Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights notice
• Finish: Completely laminated with high-quality laminate
• Covers: HFWA paid sick leave and PHEW workplace health and safety protections

What Is the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster?

The Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster informs employees and workers about rights established by two important Colorado workplace laws:

• Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) – establishes paid sick leave rights for covered Colorado employees
• Protected Health/Safety Expression and Whistleblowing Law (PHEW) – protects workers who raise certain workplace health or safety concerns and establishes protections involving personal protective equipment

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment provides a combined Workplace Public Health Rights Poster that employers and principals can use to satisfy applicable posting requirements under both laws.

Who Must Post the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster?

Colorado employers and other covered principals must provide applicable notice of rights under HFWA and PHEW.

HFWA generally applies to Colorado employers and employees, while PHEW protections can extend beyond traditional employees to certain independent contractors and other workers.

Colorado Paid Sick Leave Rights

Under the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, covered employees generally earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours of accrued paid sick leave per year.

Employees may use available HFWA leave for qualifying health, safety, caregiving, and other reasons permitted by Colorado law.

What Can Colorado Paid Sick Leave Be Used For?

Colorado employees may use available HFWA paid leave for qualifying reasons that can include:

• The employee's mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition
• Medical diagnosis, care, or treatment
• Preventive medical care
• Caring for a family member with a qualifying health need
• Needs related to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or criminal harassment
• Certain situations involving closure of a workplace, school, or place of care
• Other qualifying reasons provided by Colorado law

Colorado Public Health Emergency Leave

Colorado law contains provisions for additional paid leave when a qualifying public health emergency is declared.

Public Health Emergency leave is separate from an employee's regularly accrued HFWA paid sick leave and becomes applicable when the conditions established by Colorado law are met.

Employers should use the current Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights notice because public health emergency information can change when a qualifying emergency is declared or ends.

Worker Health and Safety Whistleblower Protections

Colorado's PHEW law protects covered workers who raise reasonable concerns about workplace violations of government health or safety rules or significant workplace health and safety threats.

Covered workers may have the right to:

• Raise reasonable workplace health or safety concerns
• Report potential violations of government health or safety requirements
• Communicate with employers, coworkers, government agencies, or the public about protected workplace health and safety concerns
• Exercise other rights protected by Colorado law

Personal Protective Equipment Rights

Colorado's Workplace Public Health Rights notice also explains worker protections involving personal protective equipment (PPE).

Under applicable circumstances, workers may wear their own personal protective equipment when it provides a higher level of protection than employer-provided equipment, is recommended by an applicable government public health agency, and does not prevent the worker from performing required job duties.

Personal protective equipment can include items such as masks, faceguards, gloves, and other qualifying protective equipment.

Protection Against Retaliation

Colorado law prohibits unlawful retaliation or interference with rights protected under HFWA and PHEW.

Employers may not unlawfully retaliate against workers for exercising protected rights such as:

• Requesting or using qualifying paid sick leave
• Reporting workplace health or safety concerns
• Exercising applicable PPE rights
• Filing a complaint
• Participating in an investigation
• Otherwise exercising rights protected under HFWA or PHEW

Employee Privacy and Medical Information

Colorado HFWA provides protections involving employee health and safety information.

Employers generally may not require employees to disclose unnecessary details concerning qualifying HFWA-related health or safety information, and applicable medical information must be treated as confidential.

Paid Sick Leave Records

Colorado employers have responsibilities concerning records of employee paid sick leave.

Employees can request information concerning the amount of paid leave they have available and the amount of paid leave already used during the applicable benefit year, subject to Colorado requirements.

Must Employers Give Employees a Written HFWA Notice?

Yes. In addition to displaying the required workplace poster, Colorado employers must provide employees with written notice of their paid sick leave rights under HFWA.

The current Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster can be used to satisfy the individual HFWA written notice requirement when provided to employees in accordance with Colorado requirements.

Employers should provide the notice to new employees promptly as part of their onboarding materials and provide updated notices to employees when required.

Where Must the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster Be Displayed?

The notice must be displayed in a conspicuous and accessible location at each workplace where employees or workers can easily read it.

Appropriate locations can include:

• Employee break rooms
• Employee bulletin boards
• Time-clock areas
• Department entrances
• Facility entrances
• Human Resources areas
• Other locations where employee rights and safety notices are customarily displayed

What About Remote Employees?

Colorado's notice requirements also address employees and workers who do not have a traditional physical workplace.

When physical posting is impractical, including certain remote-work situations, employers must provide applicable notice directly to employees or workers in accordance with Colorado requirements.

Electronic delivery or access can be appropriate when workplace information is customarily provided through electronic communication or a web-based employee platform.

What Language Must the Poster Be Provided In?

Colorado employers must provide applicable Workplace Public Health Rights notices and posters in languages required for their workforce.

If a language is the first language of at least 5% of the workforce, the applicable notice must be provided in that language.

This poster is available in English and Spanish. Employers with employees or workers whose first language is another language should determine whether an additional translated notice is required.

Is the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster Required?

Yes. Colorado requires covered employers and principals to provide notice of worker rights under HFWA and PHEW.

The Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster published by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment can be used to satisfy the applicable posting requirements for both laws.

Employers may use another poster only when it contains all substantive information required by Colorado law and otherwise satisfies applicable posting requirements.

Does This Poster Replace the Colorado COMPS Poster?

No. The Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster is a separate required workplace notice.

Colorado employers may also be required to display the current Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards (COMPS) Order poster, FAMLI Program Notice, Notice of Paydays, unemployment insurance notice, discrimination notices, workers' compensation information, federal workplace notices, and other postings based on the employer and workforce.

Keep the Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster Current

Colorado requires employers to use the current Workplace Public Health Rights notice and provide updated information when the state revises the applicable poster or notice requirements.

Employers should periodically review Colorado workplace posting requirements and replace outdated notices when a mandatory update is issued.

Colorado Workplace Compliance Resources

Labor Law Compliance Center provides Colorado employers with state and federal labor law posters, workplace public health notices, specialty workplace postings, and compliance resources. Visit our Colorado Labor Law Posters page or browse our Colorado State Specialty Posters for additional Colorado workplace compliance products.