Thursday, January 13, 2022
Content courtesy of WECA Industry Partner Cook Brown, LLP
On December 16, 2021, Cal/OSHA's Standards Board voted to revise its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for the second time. The second revised ETS will go into effect on January 14, 2022.
New Changes to Cal/OSHA COVID Regulations
The key revisions include:
- Testing: Testing should be made available to all close contact employees, regardless of vaccination or symptom status. The definition of the types of tests allowed is also revised.
- Exclusion: Asymptomatic employees who are fully vaccinated and booster eligible but have not yet received their booster dose are not required to be excluded from the workplace after a close contact if they wear a face covering for 10 calendar days following the last date of contact and obtain a negative test within three to five days after last exposure.
- Return to Work Criteria: Cal/OSHA has incorporated CDPH isolation/quarantine guidelines for individuals who test positive and those who are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
- Face Coverings: The updated definition of the types of acceptable face coverings requires that the mask fabric must not let light pass through when held up to a light source.
The second revised ETS is expected to remain in effect for at least 90 days, but Governor Newsom has issued an executive order permitting Cal/OSHA to issue a third readoption of its COVID-19 standard so long as it does not extend beyond December 31, 2022.
Read the full details here.
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