OSHA Releases New COVID-19 Guidance to Protect Workers
August 27, 2021
(This article first appeared in the September-October issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
On August 13, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released new guidance to protect workers from the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Guidance can be found at osha.gov/coronavirus/safework. OHSA’s Latest Guidance added these recommendations:
- Recommends that 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 over 93 percent of U.S. counties as of August 14, 2021. You can see the current community spread using the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker at covid.cdc.gov.
- Recommends that fully vaccinated workers who have had close contacts with a person diagnosed with coronavirus 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 unvaccinated workers and other at-risk workers in manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, seafood processing and agricultural processing. Remember that the best tool to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccinations that are now widely available, at no cost, to any person over the age of 12.
The APWU fully supports the OSHA and CDC recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19:
- Wear a face covering indoors
- Practice Social Distancing
- Wash your hands often
- Get one of the approved vaccines