While federal and state COVID-19 requirements may be easing, OSHA head Doug Parker says that most employers are maintaining policies to stem the spread of the coronavirus. In high-risk industries like healthcare and meat processing, employers seem to be acknowledging that COVID-19 is a continuing threat, Parker told Reuters in an April 27 interview. “We’re […]
Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board formally approved the readoption of California’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) with no substantive changes from the proposed draft. That proposed draft brought with it seven major changes over the prior version of the ETS, however. The revised ETS will become effective likely before the end of the first week of May […]
Despite concern over increasing cases of the BA.2 Omicron strain of COVID-19, many Americans – vaccinated or not – have stopped wearing masks and practicing social distancing. But there’s still one big way to protect employees: ventilation. “A growing coalition of epidemiologists and aerosol scientists say that improved ventilation could be a powerful tool against […]
Cal/OSHA issued a draft COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) April 6 to potentially replace the current version, which expires May 5, 2022. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is scheduled to hear public comment on the proposed ETS, which would be the fourth version since Nov. 30, 2021, on April 21, 2022. If […]
There’s new federal guidance for employers on how to improve indoor air quality to combat COVID-19 exposure. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new guidance March 24 called the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, which advises employers to “engage experts, facilities managers, and others who are skilled, trained, and/or certified in HVAC work to […]
COVID-19 is no longer considered an airborne infectious disease under New York’s HERO Act, so most employers aren’t required to enforce their COVID-19 safety plans. With the exception of employers in healthcare and congregate care settings, as of March 17, 2022, New York employers are no longer required to follow coronavirus-related safety mandates. However, law […]
OSHA has partially reopened rulemaking for development of a final COVID-19 standard for the healthcare industry. On June 21, 2021, the agency issued its emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect workers in healthcare settings from occupational exposure to COVID-19. That ETS was officially withdrawn by OSHA on Dec. 22, 2021, as OSHA began working on […]
Virginia has revoked what was supposed to be the state’s permanent COVID-19 workplace safety rule. The state was the first to adopt a permanent COVID-19 rule when the Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board approved it Jan. 13, 2021. The board revoked the rule March 21, 2022. Governor Glenn Youngkin praised […]
With the ever-evolving guidance regarding masking against COVID-19 in public, it’s no wonder employers and workers are confused regarding masks on the job. In an effort to clear up the confusion, the states of California and Washington are offering new guidance for employers and workers. Cal/OSHA ETS mask provision suspended In California, the state’s Department […]
