OSHA focuses on curbing COVID-19 spread among unvaccinated workers

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) this month updated its guidance aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guidance now focuses on protections for employees who are unvaccinated or who are otherwise at risk. OSHA’s update to the guidance focuses on industries known for prolonged close contact in the workplace such as meat processing, manufacturing, seafood, grocery and high-volume retail. 

The original OSHA guidance, issued on Jan. 29 before most Americans got vaccinated, laid out requirements employers should take to implement a workplace COVID-19 prevention program. But it didn’t include information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

OSHA says most employers no longer need to take steps to protect their workers from COVID-19 exposure in any workplace where all employees are fully-vaccinated.

The new guidance, however, updates the roles of employers and workers in responding to COVID-19 for employees who are at risk or haven’t gotten the vaccine. The guidance also provides an appendix with measures for high-risk workplaces with mixed-vaccination status among workers. It says employers should take additional steps for high-risk situations due to a variety of factors such as close contact or the length of contact.

Employers should continue to take steps to protect at-risk or unvaccinated workers in their workplace by implementing multilayered protections for those employees.