OSHA issues revised COVID-19 guidance

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued revised guidance for employers regarding workplace safety during the pandemic.

The new COVID-19 guidance from OSHA – signed as an executive order by President Biden – details measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, including face coverings, ventilation, the use of personal protective equipment, good hygiene, and routine cleaning and disinfection.

OSHA also outlines several steps to help limit COVID-19 in the workplace, recommending employers conduct hazard assessments and adopt employee absence policies that don’t punish potentially infected workers remaining at home.

The guidance is for planning purposes and is not a standard or regulation, OSHA says, and it creates no new legal obligations. OSHA says employers and workers should use the guidance to help avoid exposure to and spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.

The agency says it will continue to update guidance to reflect best practices and standards.