OSHA Issues New COVID-19 Related Guidelines For Employers
On January 29, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued new guidance for protecting workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note: while the guidance is strongly encouraged, it still is optional.
Many provisions in the guidance are similar to those established by the Trump administration, but the document does signal the Biden administration’s OSHA will take a more proactive approach to the issue of worker health and safety. Specifically, the guidance sets up options for employees to voice complaints about working conditions anonymously and provides ways to give employees a larger say in how company safety protocols are written.
The guidance also requests that employers shield workers from retaliation if they complain about conditions.
Click here to read the full guidance. Separately, OSHA also announced that it will resume publicly announcing when it fines workplaces for unsafe conditions.