工作场所健康的下一个监管途径是什么？

今年早些时候，美国职业安全和健康管理局（OSHA）withdrew its emergency temporary standard呼吁为100个或更多员工提供私营企业的疫苗或测试授权。

While this withdrawal effectively ended litigation around the vaccine mandate, employers should take note of several other regulatory avenues for新冠肺炎workplace rulesoutlined in this article. For example, the agency will continue to conduct COVID-19-related inspections at worksites where employees have a high frequency of close contact exposures.

OSHA’s withdrawal followed a highly anticipated January 13 decision by the Supreme Court, which ruled that OSHA exceeded its authority by trying to regulate a hazard that is not specific to the workplace, Congress had not given OSHA specific authority to regulate such a broad hazard, and the power to regulate the hazard rests with Congress and the states.

国家计划

The basis of the court’s decision relates only to federal OSHA’s authority to regulate without a clearer delegation from Congress.

该裁决不会阻止各国发出自己的疫苗接种任务。

There are currently 22 state plans covering both private sector and state and local government workers, and there are six state pans covering only state and local government workers.

国家计划由OSHA监视,必须在least as effective as OSHA in protecting workers and in preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. For example, California OSHA recently updated their COVID-19emergency temporary standard关于面具。

Other avenues for COVID-19 regulations include:

一般职责条款

重要的是，职业安全与健康（OSH）法和OSHA的Covid-19强调计划的一般职责条款仍然有效。

雇主必须继续评估他们是否正在努力保护员工在针对OSHA的众多各种指导下衡量的大流行危害，并为Covid-19工作场所协议进行疾病控制和预防（CDC）。

“Regardless of the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, OSHA will do everything in its existing authority to hold businesses accountable for protecting workers, including under the COVID-19 National Emphasis Program and General Duty Clause (GDC),” stated Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh in a January press release.

Consequently, employers should have a written COVID-19 prevention and control plan in place.

OSH法案要求所有雇主提供“就业，以及就业地，没有认可的危害可能导致死亡或严重伤害或疾病。”

在OSHA检查期间，合规安全官员可以确定雇主是否对解决工作场所安全和健康表现出诚信。

在适用于Covid-19的书面计划表明，即使尚未完全实施，雇主也在缓解潜在危险的过程中。这些程序的模板可以在OSHA和CDC网站上找到。

传染病标准

根据12月初发表的2021年半年监管议程，OSHA是“检查控制措施的监管替代方案，以保护员工免受能够引起显着疾病的病原体。”

The agency is considering long-standing infectious disease hazards like tuberculosis and measles as well as new and emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and pandemic influenza.

OSHA的时间表表明，该机构计划于2022年4月颁发拟议的统治。

作为的一部分雇主Covid-19预防联盟, NGFA submitted comments to OSHA in January, in which coalition members promoted cooperative programs and alliances in lieu of additional regulations and requested certain changes in guidance and expectations if OSHA proceeds with a different enforcement strategy moving forward.

NGFA将继续监测关于工作场所健康和安全的联邦法规。有关于工作场所规定的读者应联系Jess McCluer，NGFA的安全和监管事务副总裁，在202-289-0873。