Feb. 2, 2021—The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger workplace safety guidelines to mitigate COVID-19 and prevent viral spread, according to a press release.
“More than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions of people are out of work as a result of this crisis. Employers and workers can help our nation fight and overcome this deadly pandemic by committing themselves to making their workplaces as safe as possible,” Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Labor M. Patricia Smith said in the statement.
The guidance, announced on Friday, recommends several essential elements in a prevention program. Among them is to adopt policies for employee absences that don’t punish workers as a way to encourage potentially infected workers to remain at home. It also recommends conducting a hazard assessment and implementing protections from retaliation for workers who raise coronavirus-related concerns.
To read OSHA’s full report, click here.
