Amerisafe Group is launching this webpage as a resource to occupational health and safety professionals and others for daily updates on matters related to the occupational impacts of COVID-19. We regularly check various occupational health and safety (OSHA, NIOSH, CDC, WHO, FDA, etc.), and various government agency sources for current information so that we can serve our internal and external customers. We also monitor our surrounding states such as PA, OH, WV, IL, NJ, MI. It includes relevant sources, any new Q&A we’ve had and other discussions. Keep current for updates below.
June 10, 2021 - OSHA has issued a long-awaited emergency temporary standard (ETS) on COVID-19 in the workplace (Subpart U of the General Industry regulations). The ETS applies to all settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services. The ETS does not apply to construction or other General Industry employers outside of healthcare. Instead, OSHA issued revised guidance for those employers to use when crafting their own COVID-19 policies (discussed below under Guidance for Non-Healthcare Employers).
Subpart U—COVID-19 Healthcare ETS
The main section of the ETS (1910.502 – Healthcare) requires employers to develop and implement effective COVID-19 plans. Controlling COVID-19 requires employers to use multiple overlapping controls in a layered approach to better protect workers.
The ETS requires employers to:
Each of these has additional specific requirements that must also be met by the employer.
Guidance for Non-Healthcare Employers
OSHA provided this guidance for employers as recommendations to use in protecting unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk workers. Employers and workers should use the guidance to determine any appropriate control measures to implement. The guidance is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The recommendations are advisory in nature and informational in content and are intended to assist employers.
Detailed information on the new guidance can be found visiting OSHA’s website at: https://www.osha.gov/coronavir...
Amerisafe Group has extensive experience developing COVID-19 plans, training on COVID-19, conducting workplace hazard assessments, identifying and training on PPE and other requirements of the new ETS. Please contact us for compliance assistance.
June 10, 2021 - In addition to issuing the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for the Healthcare Industry, OSHA has also released new COVID-19 guidelines that apply to all employers. These guidelines are not a standard but outline their current logic on the pandemic. Most notably, these guidelines state that employers who are NOT covered by the ETS for the Healthcare Industry no longer need to provide protection where all employees in the workplace (or a defined area of the workplace) are fully vaccinated.
For unvaccinated or at-risk employees that are present in the workplace, OSHA recommends the following guidelines:
Read more at https://www.osha.gov/coronavir... or by clicking the button below.
As mandated under President Biden's Executive Order, OSHA recently launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) for inspections and enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines. The NEP will focus OSHA's attention and resources on the COVID-19 hazard and steps taken by employers to protect their employees. The NEP will remain in effect for no more than 12 months from its effective date. Specifically, the NEP directs OSHA to:
Contact Amerisafe to learn more about the NEP and what OSHA will be looking for during these inspections.
President Biden signed an executive order Thursday, January 21st, 2021 to direct federal regulators to issue stronger safety guidance for workplaces operating in the midst of the pandemic. This approach is a shift from the Trump administration’s more business and industry-friendly approach, and signals a new emphasis on workers, including a focus on issues of race and equity, in the Biden administration.
Amerisafe Group partnered with Redstone Senior Care Facility in Greensburg in attempt to safely bring loved ones together during the pandemic through "hugging stations" during the holiday season.
According to a recent article by HealthDay News, hand sanitizer has had a dangerous affect on young children. Though the eye injury is reported as a "common complication," it is a concern for adults and health care workers due to overuse during the pandemic. Eye exposure to sanitizers may lead to blindness from development of corneal ulcers. Read more about the recent study to learn more.
The CDC provided updated information on COVID-19 vaccines. The updates highlight:
The Amerisafe Group constantly monitors the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on businesses. Like so many of you we have taken steps internally in response to COVID-19 to not only protect our employees, but also the many customers we continue to service during this crisis.
You may be struggling with managing COVID-19 and its impacts to your business. Amerisafe can help. We offer a variety of services for companies to assist them in protecting their employees and managing COVID-19.
Fortunately many companies continue to operate, but still need comfort in knowing workers arriving to their shift are not symptomatic or otherwise a concern for spreading COVID-19. Our Medical Providers work with customers to develop effective, CDC-based screening tools, and then we serve as their “gatekeeper” in actually screening workers.
