A decision on tough new coronavirus workplace protections awaits Walsh as labor secretary By Jim Puzzanghera Globe Staff,Updated March 11, 2021, 7:50 a.m. Email to a Friend Dr. Salam Beah carried a sign during a protest over improved COVID-19 testing and workplace safety policies outside of UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in December.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images As Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh awaits confirmation as US labor secretary, the department he would lead is mulling a major decision with significant implications for workers and businesses reemerging from the pandemic-stricken economy. The clock is ticking on a Monday deadline set by President Biden for the Labor Department to consider whether new nationwide rules are needed to safeguard workers from COVID-19 and, if so, to issue them. Biden is pushing for quick action after the Trump administration declined to enact a so-called emergency temporary standard for coronavirus workplace protection measures, which could include requiring employers to provide high-quality masks and air-filtration systems.