"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
—Benjamin Franklin
Safety News and Updates
COVID-19 Workplace Guidance
Responding to President Joe Biden's executive order on worker health and safety, the Occupational Health Administration issued stronger guidance on identifying coronavirus exposure risks and implementing a COVID-19 Prevention Program at work.
The ASA Safety Committee is committed to helping our members during the COVID-19 crisis. For this reason, we are using the Safety News and Updates section to provide you critical information about the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the workplace and worker safety. For more general information and resources on COVID – 19 visit the ASA Resource Center.
Federated Insurance Launches mySHIELDSM : An Online Destination for Risk Management Resources to Help Support Your Business
On August 31, 2020, Federated Insurance launched mySHIELDSM, an online destination for risk management resources to help businesses succeed. A brief video highlights mySHIELD's many features.
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OSHA'S EMERGENCY TEMPORARY STANDARD UPDATE
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new Emergency Temporary Standard in an effort to protect millions of workers from contracting Covid19 while working. The ETS covers employers with 100 or more employees and provides options for compliance. The ETS also requires employers to provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and to allow for paid leave to recover from any side effects.
The ETS also requires employers to do the following:
- Determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination status from vaccinated employees and maintain records and a roster of each employee’s vaccination status.
- Require employees to provide prompt notice when they test positive for COVID-19 or receive a COVID-19 diagnosis. Employers must then remove the employee from the workplace, regardless of vaccination status; employers must not allow them to return to work until they meet required criteria.
- Ensure each worker who is not fully vaccinated is tested for COVID-19 at least weekly (if the worker is in the workplace at least once a week) or within 7 days before returning to work (if the worker is away from the workplace for a week or longer).
- Ensure that, in most circumstances, each employee who has not been fully vaccinated wears a face covering when indoors or when occupying a vehicle with another person for work purposes.
The Emergency Temporary Standard does not require employers to pay for testing or for face coverings. Employers may be required to pay for testing to comply with other laws, regulations, collective bargaining agreements, or other collectively negotiated agreements.
For complete information about the standard, implementation and additional resources, please refer to the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard HERE.
General Guidance Documents
Cleaning and Disinfecting Documents
Legal Considerations
Example Procedure Templates Provided by ASA Members
The ASA Safety Committee would like to hear from you concerning resources you have found useful in helping to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in workplace. Please send any recommendations you might have to Jim Kendzel at jkendzel@asa.net.