Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are having to make significant changes to align with OSHA standards. Many companies are unaware of the existing requirements in place for mask-wearing and respiratory protection programs.
There have been twice as many healthcare complaints in the last six months than any other industry due to employers’ failure to comply with OSHA standards. Over 10,000 OSHA complaints were filed for federal investigation & 35,000 complaints were filed on the state level. About 15% of these cases were referred to OSHA Investigators.
In November 2020, the top industry category for complaints was General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, followed by Nursing Care Facilities. 3 out of the 4 most common OSHA complaints were in these respective healthcare categories — more than any other categories combined.
Potential Penalties
- Serious & Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements: $13,653 per violation
- Failure To Abate: $13,653 per day beyond the abatement date
- Willful Or Repeated: $136,532 per violation
Current OSHA Regulations
OSHA requirements apply to preventing occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
Here are some of the most prevalent regulations that you should be following:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standards require using gloves, eye and face protection, as well as respiratory protection when job hazards warrant it.
- Respiratory Protection Programs must be implemented if respirators are necessary to protect employees.
- The General Duty Clause requires employers to provide “employment and a place of employment, which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
- Record-keeping Requirements mandate employers record work-related injuries and illnesses. COVID-19 can be a recordable illness if a worker is infected on the job.
Simple Ways To Comply
These are the steps you can take right now to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace:
- Develop a disease preparedness and response plan to establish protective actions against COVID-19.
- Implement basic infection prevention measures (i.e. frequent and thorough hand washing, urging workers to stay home if sick, maintain regular housekeeping practices, etc.)
- Outline policies, procedures, and workplace controls (i.e. safe work practices, PPE, following OSHA standards, etc.) to guide employees and mitigate hazards.
Make sure you are educated so you can protect your business and your people. If not, you could be subject to certain penalties, citations, and fines.