“Reoccupying a building during the COVID-19 pandemic should not, in most cases, require new building ventilation systems,” says guidance from NIOSH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “However, ventilation system upgrades or improvements can increase the delivery of clean air and dilute potential contaminants.” Vaccines may be the tool in the safety toolbox […]
Masks have proven to be an effective way to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but they can be a major pain to wear. Foggy glasses, irritation where elastic straps fit around the ears and stifled breathing are a few of the complaints people make when wearing cloth masks. The U.S. Department of Health and […]
OSHA officially received an extension on developing a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) back in March, and the Department of Labor’s new boss is taking full advantage of the extra time. President Joe Biden gave OSHA until March 15 to come up with an ETS addressing the coronavirus, but gave the agency more time when […]
It’s official. OSHA missed the March 15 deadline President Joe Biden set for the agency to come up with an emergency temporary standard (ETS) regarding COVID-19. But the administration is giving OSHA time to get it right. Only days after taking office, President Biden asked OSHA to have an ETS ready by March 15, but […]
OSHA launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) March 12 focusing enforcement efforts on companies that put workers at serious risk of contracting COVID-19. This program, which comes a little more than a year into the pandemic, will also prioritize employers that retaliate against workers for making complaints about unsafe or unhealthy conditions. OSHA has “a […]
The pandemic as it is now – with vaccines being rolled out, new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and states relaxing COVID-19 rules – is vastly different than it was just three months ago. What does all this change mean for workplace safety? A lot, and it’s complicated. OK, the pandemic has […]
On March 11, 2020, we were working in our offices. The next day we went remote because of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 forced us to get creative until we figured out how we were going to carry on during the pandemic. We kept one foot in safety while pivoting with the other. Our philosophy is […]
Coronavirus pandemic workplace safety guidelines changed frequently in 2020, and that impacted safety training. For example, at one point last year the feds said to avoid using N95 respirators unless you worked in health care. Because OSHA has ramped up enforcement related to the pandemic, occupational health and safety attorney Adele Abrams had this to say […]
The head of OSHA during the Obama administration has added his voice to a growing chorus calling for more emphasis on ventilation in workplaces to fight COVID-19 spread. He also predicts new OSHA requirements for better protection of workers. In an interview with the New Jersey Star-Ledger, David Michaels said we need to implement other […]
