OSHA Issues Memorandum to Further Address COVID-19 Crisis

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On May 19th, 2020, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published both the Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19 as well as the Updated Interim Enforcement Plan. These memoranda demonstrate that OSHA is applying its enforcement efforts to assure employers and workers during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases provides interim guidance to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for the recording of occupational illnesses, specifically cases of COVID-19. Because of the challenge with determining work-relatedness, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion to assess employers’ efforts in making work-related determinations.

The Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan stipulates guidance and instructions to Area Offices and compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) for handling COVID-19-related complaints, referrals, and severe illness reports. These updates are to take effect on May 26th, rescinding previous memorandums and are intended to be time-limited to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the updated plan, “where community spread of COVID-19 has significantly decreased,” OSHA will prioritize inspections per its pre-COVID-19 policy, returning to the status quo. In geographic regions where community spread has elevated or resurged, OSHA will “continue prioritizing COVID-19 fatalities and imminent danger exposures for inspection.” Other than the “geographic area” framework, the enforcement plan outlined in the April 10th guidance largely remains intact.

For more details visit  https://www.osha.gov/memos/2020-05-19/revised-enforcement-guidance-recording-cases-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19  and  https://www.osha.gov/memos/2020-05-19/updated-interim-enforcement-response-plan-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19