OSHA provides more details on how to protect unvaccinated employees

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration this month issued updated guidance on the measures employers can take to protect unvaccinated and other at-risk workers from COVID-19.

The added guidance focuses on measures that can be taken in workplaces where there’s mixed vaccination status among employees who are working in industries with prolonged contact with other employees or non-workers, OSHSA says.

The guidance recommends fully vaccinated workers in communities with high COVID-19 transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers. For vaccinated workers who have close contact with anyone who has COVID-19, OSHA recommends they should wear a mask for up to 14 days unless those vaccinated employees receive a negative coronavirus test taken at least 3-5 days after that contact.

OSHA’s guidance also clarifies recommendations on how to protect unvaccinated workers in the meat, poultry, seafood, and agricultural processing industries.

OSHA says it continues to recommend vaccination as the best way to protect employees, adding that the federal agency also encourages employers to engage with workers to put into place multi-layered approaches to protect unvaccinated and other at-risk workers.