OSHA COVID-19 standard delayed, pending updates

Marty Walsh/ Reuters

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has stalled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s development of a temporary, emergency COVID-19 workplace safety standard, a Department of Labor spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The spokeswoman said in an e-mail that much depends on updates to information on COVID-19, including from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Secretary Walsh reviewed the materials and determined that they should be updated to reflect the latest scientific analysis of the state of the disease,” she wrote. “He has ordered a rapid update based on CDC analysis and the latest information regarding the state of vaccinations and the variants. He believes this is the best way to proceed.”

President Joe Biden in January issued an executive order for OSHA to consider a COVID-19 standard by March 15, a deadline regulators missed, stating that the agency needed more time.

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.