Author: Tammy Somogye
With COVID-19 cases surging, employers should take the time to review the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s recent guidance document, which was generated based on a review of “data from citations issued, many of which were the result of complaints, referrals and fatalities in industries such as hospitals and healthcare, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and meat/poultry processing plants.” OSHA News Release (11/7/2020).
The guidance document identifies the standards that are most frequently cited in coronavirus-related OSHA inspections and compiles relevant resources and related information, making it easier for employers to understand their obligations. In addition, OSHA published what it calls a “one-pager,” which identifies the top nine things employers should be doing to keep workers safe. These include:
- Medical evaluations before a worker is fit-tested or uses a respirator;
- Appropriate fit tests for workers using tight fitting respirators;
- Assessing the workplace to determine if COVID-19 hazards are present, or likely to be present, that will require the use of a respirator and/or other personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Establishing, implementing and updating a written respiratory protection program with required worksite-specific procedures;
- Providing an appropriate respirator and/or other PPE to each employee when necessary to protect the health of the employees (ensuring the respirator and/or PPE used is the correct type and size);
- Training workers to safely use respirators and/or other PPE in the workplace, and retraining workers about changes in the workplace that might make previous training obsolete;
- Storing respirators and other PPE properly in a way to protect them from damage, contamination and, where applicable, deformation of the facepiece and exhalation valve;
- Reporting to OSHA (within eight hours of finding out about) any fatality occurring within 30 days of a work-related incident; and
- Keeping required records of work-related fatalities, injuries and illness.
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