OSHA Issues ‘Stronger’ Workplace Guidance on COVID-19
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
On January 29, 2021, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published new guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. In a press release announcing the new guidance, OSHA declared that the new guidance is “stronger worker safety guidance” intended to inform employers outside of the healthcare industry about how to identify the risks of exposure to COVID-19 and determine the appropriate control measures for their respective workplaces.
While OSHA’s new guidance is more detailed, it does not necessarily appear to be “stronger.” According to OSHA, the new “guidance … provides additional detail on key measures for limiting the spread of COVID-19,” most of which will be familiar to employers. OSHA announced that “[t]he guidance details key measures for limiting coronavirus’s spread, including ensuring infected or potentially infected people are not in the workplace, implementing and following physical distancing protocols and using surgical masks or cloth face coverings.” The guidance also addresses “personal protective equipment [PPE], improving ventilation, good hygiene and routine cleaning.”