Understanding & Tracking OSHA's COVID-19 Guidance
OSHA has released COVID-19 guidance for businesses reopening amidst the pandemic
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces standards for healthy and safe working conditions, via “training, outreach, education, and assistance”. To protect essential workers amidst the coronavirus pandemic, OSHA has released standards for preventing worker exposure to COVID-19, as well as those hazards resulting from the pandemic. Although many states adhere to state-specific standards for compliance, each state plan must meet the COVID-19 standards and directives provided by OSHA. Below we’ve outlined a few of the key takeaways from OSHA’s COVID-19 compliance standards that your business should know:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards
When your staff is working in conditions where they may be exposed to COVID-19, OSHA’s Personal Protective Equipment standards state that workers are required to use gloves, eye, and ear protection, as well as respiratory protection. If respiratory protection is necessary, employers must formulate and implement a “respiratory protection program” in accordance with OSHA standards.
Within their guidance, OSHA has specified that PPE should be assigned to personnel based on their risk level, which is determined by assessing their exposure to certain hazards and environments. These resources must be consistently worn, properly fitted, and regularly inspected and cleaned.
The General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)
Within the General Duty Clause, OSHA specifies that workers must be provided with a workplace that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” According to Bloomberg Law, this clause will most likely be used to cite employers for exposing their staff to COVID-19 while on the clock.
Bloodborne Pathogens standard
This standard generally applies to a worker’s exposure to human blood and other bodily materials that could potentially be infectious. Although COVID-19 spreads largely via the respiratory system (not included within this standard), this standard does apply to bodily fluids that may be infectious. This standard may necessitate the implementation of training programs, designed to help workers identify and address hazards, understand PPE, and reduce exposure.
How digital forms can help your business track OSHA COVID-19 standards
Digital forms are a powerful and effective medium for tracking OSHA COVID-19 standards and can help workers report hazards present within their workplace. Digital forms can be used on phones, tablets, and computers (even offline), allowing workers to easily access and submit documents from anywhere. For example, many teams now leverage digital Health Assessment Forms to screen personnel entering the workplace (you can download a free Health Assessment Form here).
Your digital forms can be outfitted with a variety of easy-to-use fields and equipped with Conditional Logic, guiding users and ensuring critical information is input prior to submission. For example, a form might provide users with a Drop Down menu, from which they can select their job function. Their selection could then instantly populate a corresponding field with PPE instructions specific to that user’s job function.
Digital forms can even be used as PPE checklists, allowing users to quickly note they are wearing the appropriate protections for their job function, add their Signature, and instantly route the completed form to their supervisor or team lead.
To learn more about how your business can use digital forms to keep your employees safe and compliant during the coronavirus pandemic, check out our free, downloadable Health Assessment Form, or explore the top tools for working from home here.
