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Home | Thompson Hine LLP

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The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) recently issued <a href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guidance to employers</a> concerning their regulatory obligations to keep workplaces safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic. OSHA’s guidance includes information on the ways COVID-19 can spread, which includes between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

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OSHA has classified different types of jobs as very high, high, medium or lower exposure risk, with employers’ responsibilities depending upon the category of risk consistent with applicable regulations. Generally, the OSHA standards that may apply include:

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OSHA’s guidance also recommends potential engineering controls, administrative controls, safe work practices and personal protective equipment for employers to consider, including:

“Mini-OSHA” laws in 28 states may have more stringent requirements than federal OSHA regulations. For example, California’s Aerosol Transmissible Diseases standard is aimed at preventing worker illness from infectious diseases that can be transmitted by inhaling air that contains viruses, bacteria, etc. While this standard is only mandatory for certain health care employers in California, OSHA states that “it may provide useful guidance for protecting other workers exposed to COVID-19.”

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M. Scott Young 513.352.6617 <a href="mailto:Scott.Young@ThompsonHine.com">Scott.Young@ThompsonHine.com</a>

Nancy M. Barnes 216.566.5578 <a href="mailto:Nancy.Barnes@ThompsonHine.com">Nancy.Barnes@ThompsonHine.com</a>

Anthony P. McNamara 513.352.6567 <a href="mailto:Anthony.McNamara@ThompsonHine.com">Anthony.McNamara@ThompsonHine.com</a>

or any member of Thompson Hine’s <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/services/labor-amp-employment">Labor &amp; Employment</a> group.

Additional Resources

We have assembled a firmwide multidisciplinary task force to address clients’ business and legal concerns and needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please see our <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/services/covid-19-task-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 Task Force</a> page for additional information and resources.

This advisory bulletin may be reproduced, in whole or in part, with the prior permission of Thompson Hine LLP and acknowledgment of its source and copyright. This publication is intended to inform clients about legal matters of current interest. It is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon the information contained in it without professional counsel. This document may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions.

https://admin.thompsonhinestaging.contentpilot.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/COVID-19_Update_-_OSHA_Issues_COVID-19_Guidance_for_Employers.pdf

OSHA Issues COVID-19 Guidance for Employers

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