OSHA Issues New COVID-19 Workplace Guidance

In response to an executive order from President Joe Biden, OSHA on Jan. 29 issued stronger workplace guidance to help prevent spread of the coronavirus. For now, the revised guidance is not a regulation and creates no new legal obligations. It recommends the following steps:

Conduct a hazard assessment;

Identify control measures to limit the spread of the virus;

Adopt policies for employee absences that don’t punish workers as a way to encourage potentially infected workers to remain home;

Ensure that coronavirus policies and procedures are communicated to both English and non-English speaking workers; and

Implement protections from retaliation for workers who raise coronavirus-related concerns.

Click here to see OSHA’s new guidance. Also, read this insight from OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine and this summary from OMA Connections Partner Dinsmore.