The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued stronger safety guidance to assist workers and employers in implementing a coronavirus prevention program. They also want to help workplaces better identify risks that could lead to exposure and contracting COVID-19.

OSHA has published Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. It details key measures including:

• Ensuring infected or potentially infected people are not in the workplace
• Physical distancing protocols
• Use of surgical masks or face coverings
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Improving ventilation
• Good hygiene
• Routine cleaning

“More than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions of people are out of work as a result of this crisis. Employers and workers can help our nation fight and overcome this deadly pandemic by committing themselves to making their workplaces as safe as possible,” M. Patricia Smith, Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Labor said.

The guidance is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to help employers recognize and eliminate hazards.