On June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guidance applies to employers and employees in settings outside of the health care industry and is now focused only on protecting unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk employees in their workplaces.
Employers can use this OSHA guidance to help them take the appropriate steps to prevent exposure and infection of unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk employees.
According to OSHA, most employers no longer need to take steps to protect their fully vaccinated employees who are otherwise not at risk from COVID-19 exposure unless otherwise required by federal, state or local laws.
The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content and intended to provide a safe and healthy workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Action Steps
Under the guidance, employers with unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk employees should update their COVID-19 prevention plans to provide policies and procedures for those specific employees to follow. Employers should also review the guidance for vaccinated employees working with unvaccinated employees and update their policies and procedures accordingly.
