On December 16, 2021, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board voted to readopt the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) with several revisions. This amended readoption of the ETS will go into effect on January 14, 2022, and will remain in place until April 14, 2022. Only one member of the seven-person Standards Board voted against it.
This vote comes on the heels of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issuing a state-wide face-covering requirement for indoor public settings and in the wake of uncertainty about the future of the federal COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (federal ETS).
Cal/OSHA had released its proposed changes to the ETS for readoption in October 2021 but delayed the vote. With the expiration of the current version coming in January, however, they could not wait any longer. Prior to voting, the Board confirmed with staff that updated FAQs were already in development, though no date was provided for when they would be published.
Here is an overview of some of the significant changes:
Though state and local guidance regarding face coverings has fluctuated since June 2021, the ETS guidance will remain mostly the same.
Notably, cloth face coverings must now pass the “light test.” To qualify as a face covering under the revised ETS, a cloth face covering may not let light pass through it when held up to a light source.
Additionally, both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees must wear face-coverings during screening.
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