Did you know? The new requirements for reporting and testing under CA/OSHA went into effect quietly on December 1, 2020, and your HR or company representative needs to study up on the requirements and penalties if not in compliance. Some are duplicative of already in existence from March 2020, yet all policies regarding Covid-19 in the workplace must be updated.
All of these newer requirements were approved for emergency standards by the Office of Administrative Law, but most employers were not in the loop. Takeaway? Have an injury and illness prevention program in place soon. CA/OSHA will work with an employer if they can determine they are trying to compile while putting all the new requirements in-place.
December 2020 changes are for employers to have a contagious illness and cleaning training, hazard mitigation rules, specific testing, recordkeeping, and employee work leaves. It also requires employees to notify their employer within 24 hours of coming into potential exposure of COVID-19 regardless of whether they are a vendor, employee, or independent contractor. Furthermore, they must implement a recordkeeping system to track all cases in their respected workplace.
Face-coverings must be supplied if someone forgets their personal covering, sanitizers, cleaning/disinfecting supplies, and protocols with required training, especially when onboarding new employees. If accepted and voted on, these new temporary regulations may be in effect as early as November 30, 2020. Be ready!
On January 1, 2021, AB 685 goes into effect, requiring employers to notify all staff of employees' potential exposure to covid-19 and the local health officials. The new law allows OSHA to close a facility if they conclude there is an imminent hazard at that location, and an "outbreak" is 3 or more testing positive. This new law will be in effect until January 1, 2023.
SB 1159 should be reviewed, as the CA Governor signed it into place in March; it was supposed to end in early July but has been extended until January 1, 2023, for dates of injury and compensation from workers compensation.
Our company also offers a 20-minute training module on the topic, "Combating Contagious Illnesses in the Workplace," $14.99 a copy eLearning for employees.
