On April 21, 2022, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, the standard-setting body of California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA), once again revised the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) that we previously addressed in July 2021. The revised ETS, which took effect on May 6, 2022, and will remain in effect through December 31, 2022, consist of the most relaxed COVID-19 prevention workplace measures to come out of the Golden State since the inception of the original ETS on November 30, 2020.
Some of the most notable changes are as follows:
Face covering requirements are now the same for vaccinated and unvaccinated employees, and employees are no longer required to wear face coverings at all times when indoors or when inside employer-provided vehicles. The revised ETS also do away with the requirement that face coverings must not let light pass through when held up to a light source.
These changes do not necessarily address other situations where face covering requirements remain in place, such as in the event of an outbreak. Employers should consult the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance for the Use of Face Masks to understand the various circumstances in which face coverings remain a requirement.
Employers must provide free respirators to employees who request them for voluntary use regardless of their vaccination status.
Physical distancing is no longer required...
President Lee Jae Myung called Tuesday for a firm government response to the spread of false information about eggs imported from Brazil. During a closed-door session of a Cabinet meeting at Cheon...