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On January 29, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued stronger workplace health and safety guidance for protecting employees from COVID-19 exposures. On January 21, President Joe Biden ordered OSHA to issue updated guidance within 2 weeks and consider establishing an emergency temporary standard (ETS) for workplace COVID-19 protections by March 15.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently acknowledged that the infographic “Facial Hairstyles and Filtering Facepiece Respirators,” which was used in a November 2, 2017, blog post, has been downloaded over 19,000 times. NIOSH said that 95% of the downloads were made in 2020.
Virginia adopted the nation’s first permanent standard for workplace exposures to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19. The regulation includes requirements for written preparedness and response plans, as well as cleaning and sanitation, personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, training and recordkeeping, and ventilation.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) announced citations of 10 additional employers for violations related to workplace COVID-19 exposures. The state agency cited seven employers for violations of its emergency temporary COVID-19 rules and three employers under the General Duty Clause.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) reminded employers they are not allowed to retaliate against employees who must isolate or quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On January 21, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue updated employer guidance within 2 weeks on protecting workers from COVID-19. The EO also instructed the agency to consider establishing a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) by March 15. It also ordered the Mine […]
On January 20, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order requiring mask wearing in federal buildings and on public lands and requiring all federal employees and contractors to wear masks while on duty. The order also instructs federal personnel to maintain social distancing and comply with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) inspected and issued citations at several more workplaces for violations of the General Duty Clause and the state’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19 exposures.
In conducting COVID-19-related inspections, OSHA has frequently cited employers for violating certain standards. In the fourth quarter (Q4), OSHA cited 176 employers for COVID-19-related violations, including failure to protect employees from exposure to COVID-19 and not following respiratory protection standards. These penalties resulted in $2,936,089 in fines, ranging from $1,000 to nearly $33,000.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) cited eight employers across the state for not protecting workers from COVID-19 following inspections at meat processing facilities. Many were cited for violations of the state’s injury and illness prevention program standard—a state regulation with no corresponding federal standard.