South Carolina to write infectious disease rule for workers
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The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said it will develop a general infectious diseases workplace safety standard to replace the federal Occupational Safety and Health emergency COVID-19 standard, which only applies to health care workers.
SC OSHA decided to create an alternative standard, which federal OSHA permits, following input from “South Carolina stakeholders, a review of SC OSHA’s COVID-19 compliance data (i.e. health industry-related fatalities, hospitalizations, complaints and inspections), and data received from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control” and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, according to a statement issued last week.
The standard will place significant focus on employer assessment and allow flexibility as the pandemic has proven to be unpredictable, SC OSHA Deputy Director Kristina Baker said in the statement.
The agency did not announce a timeline for developing the rule.
