Thursday, January 28, 2021
As we previously reported, Virginia became the first state to issue mandatory COVID-19 workplace safety rules via an emergency temporary standard (“ETS”) executed on July 15, 2020. The temporary standard expired on January 26, 2021 but the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board (the “Board”) has recently taken steps to ensure the protection for workers will continue beyond its expiration. On January 13, 2021 in a 9-4 vote, the Board passed permanent workplace virus safety regulations that mirror but also enhance those in the ETS. The permanent regulations became effective on January 27, 2021, with announcements being made on the DOLI website, found here, and in the Richmond Times Dispatch, found here.