OSHA Issues Compliance Directive for Enforcing Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect HC Workers from Coronavirus

Posted in COVID-19, Senior Living

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a compliance directive designed to ensure uniform inspection and enforcement procedures for its Emergency Temporary Standard to protect healthcare workers from occupational exposures to COVID-19.

The new directive provides OSHA compliance safety and health officers with guidance and procedures on how to enforce the standard’s requirements for:

  • Written COVID-19 plan
  • Patient/Non-employee screening and management
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Aerosol-generating procedures
  • Physical distancing
  • Physical barriers
  • Cleaning and disinfecting
  • Ventilation
  • Employee health screening and medical management
  • Vaccination
  • Training
  • Anti-retaliation
  • Requirements at no cost
  • Recordkeeping
  • Reporting to OSHA

This Executive Summary appears on page 3 of the 67-page directive:

The ETS became effective June 21, 2021. Employers must comply with most provisions by July 6, 2021, and with training, ventilation, and barrier provisions by July 21, 2021.

Learn more about the COVID-19 Healthcare ETS.

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