OSHA Releases New COVID-19 Guidance to Protect Workers

As the Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus is raging through the country the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, encourages you to follow recommendations that slow the spread of COVID-19. These include:

• Wearing a Face Covering when indoors no matter the level of spread in your community
• Practicing Social Distancing
• Washing your hands on a regular basis
• And you are encouraged to get one of the approved vaccines

On Friday, August 13, 2021, OSHA release new guidance for employers to help protect workers from contracting and spreading COVID-19. The updated guidance includes the following:

• Recommends that all workers—including fully vaccinated workers—in areas of substantial or high community transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers; 
  • Substantial or High Community Spread is occurring in 95% of US counties as of August18, 2021. You can see the current community spread here: CDC COVID Data Tracker
• Recommends that fully vaccinated workers who have close contacts with people withcoronavirus wear masks for up to 14 days unless they have a negative coronavirus test at least 3-5 days after such contact;
• Clarifies recommendations to protect workers and other at-risk workers in manufacturing, meatand poultry processing, seafood processing and agricultural processing; and
• Encourages workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible (USPS employees are allowedto take time off under Emergency Federal Employee Leave to get a vaccine and recover from any adverse side effects).

These new recommendations are also in line with the recommendations from the CDC. “To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.”

Below is an image of the current community spread as of August 18, 2021, that can be found at: CDC COVID Data Tracker