Don’t hold your breath waiting for OSHA to roll out an infectious disease standard, despite considerable pressure from Democratic lawmakers for the agency to do so.
In a written response to a letter from Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Loren Sweatt, acting administrator, said that OSHA isn’t planning to move forward with the infectious disease rule proposed by the Obama administration but pulled by the Trump administration.
Sweatt said that OSHA already has regulations to protect workers from infectious diseases, including the personal protective equipment rule, the bloodborne pathogens standard and the agency’s general duty clause.
Your best bet: As long as OSHA lacks a politically appointed administrator, it won’t be writing any new standards under any circumstances. Furthermore, OSHA, like other federal agencies, is limited by an executive order that requires it to kill two rules for every new one it writes.
(From the April 6, 2020, issue of OSHA Compliance News)
IOBP
Institute of Business Publications
OSHA to U.S. lawmakers seeking infectious disease rule: No way!
By iobp