Biden Asks OSHA to Consider COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules – By Alex Brown (The Pew Charitable Trusts) / January 25 2021
A national order from OSHA would bring all states under the same rules, since even states with independent agencies must meet or exceed the federal standard.
For most of the pandemic, workplace safety rules—and enforcement of those standards—have varied widely from state to state. Now, President Joe Biden has ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to step up enforcement and explore issuing emergency rules that could become the new national standard.
Biden’s executive order directs the agency to create a new COVID-19 enforcement program focused on the most at-risk workplaces. It also requires OSHA to update its pandemic guidance—and most significantly, signals that the government could soon enact new rules for employers to keep workers safe.
Currently, 21 states have their own workplace safety agencies overseeing private sector businesses, while the rest rely on the federal OSHA. A few of the state agencies have issued new rules for COVID-19 safety, while many others followed the Trump administration’s lead and shared voluntary guidance from health experts.
