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OSHA issues emergency temporary standard guidance for health care workers

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday released the details of its long-awaited Emergency Temporary Standard, which the agency said will only apply to health care workers, Business Insurance reported. OSHA said it will follow up with separate guidance for workers in such sectors as manufacturing, meat and seafood processing, grocery and retail. The ETS, which has been submitted to the Office of the Federal Register, includes such requirements as sanitation, time off for illness or vaccinations, anti-retaliation measures, and personal protective equipment while working with COVID-19 patients. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said in a statement that the new ETS, which follows a January executive order from President Joe Biden that OSHA by March 15 create a standard if it deemed one necessary, represents a “missed opportunity” to protect all workers. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said during a media briefing Thursday that the  delay in creating the ETS occurred so that OSHA could “take time to get this right for the workers.”