OSHA’s COVID CITATIONS

Since 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) role is to ensure that employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment for their employees.  As of Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, OSHA has issued citations to 37 establishments for covid-related violations.  These violations include such things as failing to implement a written respiratory protection program; failure to provide a medical evaluation, respirator fit testing, training on the proper use of a respirator, and personal protective equipment (PPE); failure to report an injury, illness or fatality; and failure to comply with the General Duty Clause of OSHA.  These proposed fines for these citations range from $0 to $25,061 and currently total $484,069.  The 37 establishments include mostly a mix of hospitals, medical centers and rehab facilities as well as, the Dept of Veteran’s Affairs, a dental office and a meat packing plant.  States where these citations have occurred include: New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Louisiana.  Additional information on OSHA’s standards during this pandemic are available by visiting: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/.