EHS Insider Blog

OSHA Guidance on Returning to Work in the Age of COVID-19

While both business owners and employees are eager to return to work after the COVID-19 shutdown, the virus has created a new safety hazard that every workplace must address. As a supplement to the Guidance for Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 publication, OSHA has issued Guidance on Returning to Work. This new publication outlines nine guiding principles for a safer workplace and offers examples of how to implement them.
Topics: COVID-19 Corona Virus

COVID-19 and Potential Transmission

In the latest CDC guidance updated October 5, 2020 the agency's definition of respiratory droplets has been updated to include large droplets, smaller droplets and particles. The new definition of droplets is accompanied by new guidance on airborne transmission. Employers should compare their current COVID 19 safety plans, processes and procedures with the latest CDC guidance below.
Topics: COVID-19 Corona Virus

OSHA Requires Incident Investigation for Work-Related COVID-19 Cases

According to OSHA, employers must "...record and report work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses." Standard 29 CFR Part 1904.5 gives details about how to determine whether an illness/injury was work-related. This has always been somewhat complicated, as there are a variety of circumstances that can create gray areas about how or when an employee was injured or taken ill. Given the fast-spreading nature of COVID-19, OSHA recognized the difficulty in determining whether an employee contracted the disease at work. In April, the organization issued a memorandum about when companies should report COVID-19 cases among their employees. At the end of May, OSHA made an important update.
Topics: COVID-19 Corona Virus