On November 19, 2020, Cal/OSHA will conduct a public meeting to discuss its proposed COVID-19 Prevention emergency regulations that it will be considering for adoption.
The proposed regulations will apply to all workplaces, with three exceptions: (A) places of employment with one employee who does not have contact with other persons; (B) employees working from home; and (C) employees covered by section 5199 (healthcare and EMS personnel).
The proposed regulations will require employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective, written COVID-19 Prevention Program, either in conjunction with or addition to the employer’s written Injury and Illness Prevention Program, and lays forth the required elements of an acceptable COVID-19 Prevention Program. The regulations also establish (1) systems for communicating about COVID-19 in the workplace; (2) identification and evaluation of COVID-19 hazards; (3) investigating and responding to COVID-19 cases; (4) correction of COVID-19 hazards; (5) training and instruction; (6) physical distancing; (7) face coverings; (8) other engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment; (9) reporting, recordkeeping, and access; exclusion of COVID-19 cases from the workplace; and (11) return to work criteria.
Of particular importance to most employers, the proposed regulations will require all employers to ensure that their employees wear face coverings when they are indoors (with very few exceptions), or outdoors and less than six feet from other persons.
The regulations will also address multiple COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 outbreaks at the workplace, Major COVID-19 Outbreaks; COVID-19 prevention in employer-provided housing; and COVID-19 prevention in employer-provided transportation to and from work.
We will provide further information about the proposed regulations prior to the November 19 meeting. For those who would like to ask questions or voice their concerns about Cal/OSHA’s proposed regulations, Cal/OSHA has invited the public to attend. The contact information to attend is listed below.
Visit https://www.dir.ca.gov/OSHSB/COVID-19-Prevention-Emergency.html for a complete list of documents regarding Cal/OSHA’s proposed emergency regulations regarding COVID-19 Prevention.
Attend the meeting via Video-conference:
1. Go to www.webex.com
2. Select “Join”
3. Enter the meeting information: 268 984 996
4. Enter your name and email address then click “Join Meeting”
5. Video-conference will be opened to the public at 9:50 a.m.
Attend the meeting via Teleconference:
1. Dial (844) 992-4726
2. When prompted, enter 268-984-996
3. When prompted for an Attendee ID, press #
4. Teleconference will be opened to the public at 9:50 a.m.
Live video stream and audio stream (English and Spanish):
1. Go to https://videobookcase.com/california/oshsb/
2. Video stream and audio stream will launch as the meeting starts at 10:00 a.m.