Category: COVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak is at top of mind for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals nationwide.

OSHA Urges Action on Spike in Healthcare Injuries, Illnesses

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged healthcare employers to address a spike in workplace illnesses and injuries among their employees. There was a 249% increase in injury and illness rates in 2020 among nursing assistants, according to the agency, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. There was a 38.3% increase across private […]

NAS IDs Regulatory Gaps in Respiratory Protection

The respiratory protection needs of many U.S. workers are not being met, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published February 10. Many independent contractors and self-employed and “gig” workers are not considered employees or employers and are not covered by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, […]

Ask the Expert: Temperature Screenings and HIPAA

In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking about whether or not temperature screenings for employees and building guests are a HIPAA violation. See what the experts had to say. Q: Are temperature […]

NIOSH: Humidity Helps Decontaminate N95s

While there currently is no limitation on N95 respirator availability, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers found humidity helps decontaminate reused filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). When supplies of N95 FFRs were low or unavailable in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended FFR reuse as a crisis strategy. The […]

Vast Majority of Workers More Wary of Offices Amid COVID-19 Variants

With the rise of new COVID-19 variants, 87% of workers have heightened concerns about working in an office building, according to a new survey. Honeywell released initial findings from its second annual study on workers’ perceptions and feelings on the health and safety of their workplace. Conducted by Wakefield Research, the study surveyed 3,000 office workers […]

NSC, Others Join AIHA’s Commit to C.A.R.E.

American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) President John R. Mulhausen announced the group had secured commitments from the National Safety Council (NSC), the Society for Critical Care Medicine, the Indoor Air Quality Association Australia, and other public health organizations in support of the AIHA’s Commit to C.A.R.E. (Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Equity) campaign to reduce the risk […]

OSHA’s Next Move: Agency at Work on Permanent COVID-19 Safety Standard

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is moving forward with plans to issue a permanent rule aimed at requiring employees of large employers to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. OSHA announced on January 25 it is withdrawing the emergency temporary standard (ETS) it issued on November 5 and that […]

OSHA Withdraws Vax Mandate ETS, Moves Toward Permanent Regulatory Solution

As of Wednesday, January 26, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration withdrew its emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have mandated COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing/masking requirements for employers with 100 or more employees. After the U.S. Supreme Court last week found the ETS to be an unconstitutional exercise of power and stayed the implementation […]

Supreme Court Issues Stay of OSHA Vaccine-Or-Test ETS

On January 13, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of the COVID-19 vaccine-or-test emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued on November 5, 2021, by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The rule would require employers with 100 or more employees to implement a program of COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing and face coverings to […]