The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced revised policies for enforcing their requirements regarding coronavirus.
The agency issued the new policies to ensure employers are taking action to protect their employees.
First, OSHA is increasing in-person inspections at all types of workplaces. As businesses have begun to reopen, OSHA staff will reprioritize COVID-19 inspections, and will utilize all enforcement tools.
Second, OSHA is revising its previous enforcement policy for recording cases of coronavirus. Under OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements, coronavirus is a recordable illness, and employers are responsible for recording cases of the coronavirus, if they meet criteria:
- Is confirmed as a coronavirus illness
- Is work-related as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5
- Involves one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7, such as medical treatment beyond first aid or days away from work
Under the new policy, OSHA will enforce the recordkeeping requirements for employee coronavirus illnesses. The agency states that they recognized the difficulty in determining whether a case is work-related, especially when an employee has experienced potential exposure both in and out of the workplace. They emphasize that employers must make reasonable efforts to ascertain whether a particular case of coronavirus is work-related.
To read the full guidance memorandum:
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