At its June 17, 2021 Board Meeting, the California Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standards Board approved revisions to Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Shortly thereafter Governor Newsom issued executive order N-09-21 allowing implementation without Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approval, making the revisions effective upon filing with the California Secretary of State.
Revisions approved by the Board more closely align the ETS with current CDC guidelines and the Governor’s June 15th plan to re-open California; including the removal of most face covering and physical distancing requirements. Further discussions regarding amendments will occur during the Standards Board’s June 21, 2021 Sub-committee meeting.
In the coming weeks look for additional information and clarification from Cal/OSHA, including the following:
- Voluntary N95 Distribution - the state will supply employers with a one month supply of N95’s for unvaccinated employees
- Cal/OSHA providing ETS clarification via their FAQ’s
- Training video on respirator use
- Updated model COVID prevention plan
- Training from Cal/OSHA Consultation on new ETS revisions
PRISM will continue to monitor the OSH Standards Board, with more to come following its June 21st Sub-committee meeting regarding further changes to the ETS. Additionally, ETS revisions will be discussed at PRISM’s June 22nd Risk Control Open Forum, which will include guest speakers Patricia Eyres, Managing Partner with the Eyres Law Group, and Patrick Corcoran, Senior Safety Engineer with Cal/OSHA. For questions about this blog or PRISM’s monitoring of COVID-19 regulation, please contact PRISM Risk Control.