Cal/OSHA endorses indoor masking for workers

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has endorsed updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health advising employers and employees to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge across the state.

With the emergence of the Delta variant accounting for more than 80% of cases, the rate of transmission in the workplace is also on the rise, prompting the updated CDPH guidance on mask use, according to Cal/OSHA.

As of Aug. 25, the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in California topped 15,000. On Wednesday, 13,093 new cases were reported, along with 104 deaths.

The revised indoor mask guidance is also in alignment with the requirements of the state’s COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standard, which requires employers to provide masks to any employee who requests one.