Occupational Safety and Health Administration Emergency Temporary Standards

E​CRI's COVID-19 Resource Center provides resources to help healthcare and aging services organizations protect patients, residents, and workers. The Healthcare Recovery Center—COVID-19​ also offers recovery-related guidance, tools, and resources across ECRI's entire solution suite. ​

​​​The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, ensures safe and healthful working conditions for employees—​as seen in At-A-Glance OSHA​. OSHA published a COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Sta​ndard (ETS) on June 21, 2021, applicable to all settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services. The following guidance outlines section 1910.502 of the ETS, which pertains to requirements for employers regarding the following:

​​Every workplace or workplace type must have a written COVID-19 plan unless they have 10 employees or fewer. The plan should be created based on an assessment identifying potential workplace hazards related to COVID-19. In developing the plan, the employer must seek the input and involvement of nonmanagerial as well as managerial employees. OSHA does not prescribe the best approach for conducting the overall hazard assessment that drives the COVID-19 plan, but all areas of the workplace must be evaluated to determine how much exposure to other people workers will have in that area. The employer should identify areas of congregation and areas in the workplace where human contact is likely, and evaluate how employees and other persons enter, leave, and navigate through the workplace. Potential COVID-19 hazards for employees who work at fixed locations should also be identified.

​​OSHA's ETS Frequently Asked Questions suggests that employers...