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New OSHA Guidance for Workplaces Not Covered by the Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard

Client Alert
June 11, 2021

On June 10, 2021, OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for occupational exposure to COVID-19, but it applies only to healthcare and healthcare support service workers. For a detailed summary of the ETS applicable to the healthcare industry, please visit https://youtu.be/vPyXmKwOzsk.

All employers not subject to the ETS should review OSHA’s contemporaneously released, updated Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. The new Guidance essentially leaves intact OSHA’s earlier guidance, but only for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers (“at-risk” meaning vaccinated or unvaccinated workers with immunocompromising conditions). For fully vaccinated workers, OSHA defers to CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People, which advises that most fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, or local laws or individual business policies.

OSHA reminds employers that they are subject to Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, commonly known as the “General Duty Clause,” which requires an employer to furnish a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. In other words, in the event a workplace outbreak of COVID-19 comes to the attention of OSHA, OSHA will scrutinize the employer’s COVID-19 mitigation plan to ensure that it is consistent with the new Guidance. If not, a General Duty Clause citation may be forthcoming.

The good news for employers is that existing COVID-19 policies developed and implemented in response to prior OSHA guidance should suffice under the new Guidance for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers. Though nearly one-half of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and state and local officials continue to ease COVID-19 restrictions, employers should be careful to not allow their COVID-19 policies and practices to become stale for unvaccinated workers and at-risk workers. For such workers, OSHA continues to recommend that employers:

  • Provide face coverings free of charge;
  • Separate from the workplace all persons who are infected, experiencing symptoms, or had close contact with someone with COVID-19;
  • Implement physical distancing;
  • Maintain ventilation systems;
  • Ensure proper use of face coverings or personal protective equipment where appropriate;
  • Perform routine cleaning and disinfect areas encountered by workers testing positive for COVID-19;
  • Install physical barriers where proper physical distancing cannot be maintained;
  • Provide training:
    • To managers on how to implement and monitor COVID-19 policies;
    • Frequently and “via multiple methods” to workers; and
  • Consider and implement where appropriate administrative mitigation strategies such as:
    • Telework;
    • Flexible schedules; and
    • Staggered shifts and breaks

The Guidance also emphasizes that employers should implement effective processes for workers to report COVID-19 concerns, including means to make such reports anonymously. OSHA also expects employers to clearly inform workers that they will be free from retaliation for voicing reasonable concerns to the employer, a government agency, or the public through print or social media outlets.

Though OSHA recording standards continue to require recording of work-related cases of COVID-19, the new Guidance reiterates that OSHA has suspended until at least May 2022 recording of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, even if the employer requires workers to receive a vaccine.

The new Guidance concludes with an Appendix which strongly encourages employers to implement steps for unvaccinated workers working in close contact to one another, such as on production or assembly lines. Such steps may include:

  • Staggering break times;
  • Staggering work shifts;
  • Providing temporary break areas and restrooms to avoid congregation of workers;
  • Maintaining at least 6 feet of separation from one another at all times, including breaks; or
  • Providing visual cues, such as floor markings and signs, to remind workers to maintain physical distancing.

For most employers, the above recommendations will sound very familiar and are most likely already included in the employer’s COVID-19 mitigation plan. But how do employers distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated workers? OSHA provides no answer and the “honor system” is likely insufficient.

Several states, such as Michigan and Washington, have provided guidance as to when an employer may deem a worker to be fully vaccinated and thus relieved of the state’s mandate that unvaccinated workers continue to wear face coverings. Michigan deems sufficient posting signs in the workplace reminding unvaccinated workers to wear masks. Washington requires formal evidence of vaccination, such as a copy of the worker’s vaccination card or an attestation from the worker.

Federal OSHA is silent on the issue, but one can reasonably infer that OSHA would not find acceptable the “honor system” or posting of signs. Unless an employer chooses to continue to enforce its COVID-19 plan for all workers, the employer should consider requiring workers to provide evidence of vaccination, such as a copy of the vaccination card or a sworn statement, before the worker will be relieved from face coverings, physical distancing, and other mitigation practices.

If you have any questions regarding the new Guidance or would like any assistance with your COVID-19 plan, please feel free to contact BMD Member Stephen Matasich at 330-253-9146 or sematasich@bmdllc.com.

Health LawHealthcare PolicyOSHAStephen E. Matasich
Client Alert

Ohio Supreme Court Clarifies Medical Statute of Limitations

February 1, 2021The Ohio Supreme Court issued a decision in late December that clarifies and finalizes the Ohio law regarding the period of time in which patients can assert claims for medical malpractice. The Court was examining the interplay between three different statutes being the statute of limitations, the statute of repose, and the savings statute.Client Alert

Ohio Hospitals and Healthcare Clinics: It’s Time to Revisit Your Billing and Collection Practices

February 1, 2021According to a recent Cuyahoga County case, certain healthcare entities may not be protected from liability when engaging in unfair or deceptive billing acts. This decision is consistent with the growing trend across the country to encourage price transparency and eliminate unfair surprise billing practices by health care organizations. Now is the time for hospitals and other health care organizations to revisit their billing and collection policies and procedures to confirm that they are legally defensible and consistent with best practices.Client Alert

HIPAA Business Associate Agreements: Why These Contracts Matter

January 27, 2021No one loves drafting, reading or negotiating HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). Yet many of us need to do so, and some of us do so daily. They are often boring, dense and technical, but BAAs are important from both a legal and a business perspective, and they deserve our attention. Failure to enter a BAA when one is required can constitute a HIPAA violation that results in substantial liability, as demonstrated by certain recent Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) settlements.1 A business associate who makes a disclosure that is not authorized by the applicable BAA or required by law can be subject to civil and, in some cases, criminal penalties. Further, parties are often presented with BAAs that contain onerous one-sided indemnification and other provisions that can be devasting to an organization in the event of a HIPAA breach. The significance of a BAA is often not fully understood by the parties until something goes wrong (e.g., a HIPAA security incident or breach, an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) audit or a fracture in the relationship between the parties) and, at that point, there is limited opportunity to mitigate legal and business risk. Ideally, attention should be given at the commencement of the business associate relationship, when the parties are able, to thoughtfully addressing regulatory requirements, planning and preparing for potential adverse events and appropriately allocating risk among the parties. As with most healthcare regulatory compliance initiatives, a proactive approach with respect to BAAs is preferable. This article provides a broad overview of certain BAA requirements and some practical negotiating tips for the parties involved.Client Alert

“I’m Out Of Here!” Now What?

January 27, 2021We all know that the healthcare industry is experiencing a wave of integration. This trend has been evident for many years. Fewer physicians are willing to assume the legal, financial and other business risks associated with owning their own practices. More and more physicians, including anesthesiologists, are becoming employed by large physician groups, health systems and national providers. This shift necessarily involves not only entry into new employment arrangements but also the termination of existing relationships. And those terminations are often governed by written employment agreements, state and federal healthcare laws and employer benefit plans and other policies and procedures. Before pursuing their next opportunity, physicians should pause for a moment and first attend to the arrangement that they are leaving. Departing physicians need to understand their legal rights and obligations when leaving their current employment relationships in order to avoid unintended consequences and detrimental missteps along the way. Here are a few words of practical advice for physicians contemplating an exit from their current employment arrangements.Client Alert

Investment Training for the Second and Third Generations

January 19, 2021Consider this scenario. Mom and Dad started the business from the ground up. Over the decades it has expanded into a money-making machine. They are able to sell the business and it results in a multimillion-dollar payday for their labors. The excess money has allowed Mom and Dad to invest with various financial advising firms, several fund management groups, and directly with new startups and joint ventures. Their experience has made them savvy investors, with a detailed understanding of how much to invest, when, and where. They cannot justify formation of a full family office with dedicated investors to manage the funds, but Mom and Dad have set up a trust fund for the children to allow these investments to continue to grow over the years. Eventually, Mom and Dad pass. Their children enjoy the fruits of their labors, and, by the time the grandchildren are adults, Mom and Dad's savvy investments are gone.
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