This article is the third and final in a three-part series discussing the New Emergency Temporary Standards for Employers in Virginia.
Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2.
On July 27, 2020, the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program published the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board’s (the Board) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for Infectious Disease Prevention: SARSCoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19, 16VAC25-220. The ETS was published in the Richmond Times Dispatch classifieds and became effective immediately. With its publication, the Board gave notice that it intends to adopt a permanent standard by January 2021.
To be in compliance, employers can find information on outreach and training on the Department of Labor and Industry’s website. Its purpose is to provide employers with information on how to comply with the ETS and how to train their employees. All employees in VOSH jurisdiction need to be trained on the ETS standard by August 26, 2020. Some employers will need to train employees on an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan by September 25, 2020.
DOLI offers On-Site Consultation Services to help private and government employers better understand and voluntarily comply with VOSH standards. Priority is given to high hazard workplaces with 250 or fewer employees and all services are offered to employers at no cost[1].
