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OSHA Requirements — Recording and Reporting COVID-19

From Navigating COVID-19

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OSHA UPDATES GUIDANCE ON PROTECTING UNVACCINATED WORKERS

Mandatory Emergency Temporary Standards for Health Care Workers

On June 21, 2021, OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for healthcare employees became effective. The guidance can be found here https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets and is codified as 29 CFR 1910.502. The healthcare ETS applies, with some exceptions, to settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services. The ETS is aimed at protecting workers facing the highest COVID-19 hazards - those working in healthcare settings where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated. This includes employees in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities; emergency responders; home healthcare workers; and employees in ambulatory care facilities where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated.

The ETS Does Not Apply to the Following:

  • First aid performed by an employee who is not a licensed healthcare provider;
  • Dispensing of prescriptions by pharmacists in retail settings; · Non-hospital ambulatory care settings where all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings;
  • Well-defined hospital ambulatory care settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings;
  • Home healthcare settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not present;
  • Healthcare support services not performed in a healthcare setting (e.g., off-site laundry, off-site medical billing); or
  • Telehealth services performed outside of a setting where direct patient care occurs. For healthcare settings embedded in non-healthcare settings, the ETS applies only to the embedded healthcare setting and not to the remainder of the physical location.

The ETS Requires the Following:

COVID-19 Plan

  • Develop and implement a plan for each workplace (written format if more than 10 employees);
  • Designate workplace safety coordinator(s), knowledgeable in infection control principles and practices, with authority to implement, monitor, and ensure compliance with the plan; o Conduct a workplace-specific hazard assessment;
  • Seek the input and involvement of non-managerial employees and their representatives in the hazard assessment and the development and implementation of the plan;
  • Monitor each workplace to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the plan, updating it as needed; and
  • Include policies and procedures to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to employees.

Patient screening and management

  • Limit and monitor points of entry to settings where direct patient care is provided;
  • Screen and triage patients, clients, residents, delivery people and other visitors and non-employees entering the setting for symptoms of COVID-19; and
  • Implement patient management strategies.

Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

  • Develop and implement policies and procedures to adhere to Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Provide and ensure employees wear facemasks when indoors and when occupying a vehicle with other people for work purposes;
  • Ensure facemasks are worn over the nose and mouth.
  • Provide and ensure employees use respirators and other PPE for exposure to people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and for aerosol-generating procedures on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19;
  • Provide respirators and other PPE in accordance with Standard and Transmission-based Precautions;
  • Allow voluntary use of respirators instead of facemasks (under the mini respiratory protection program at 1910.504).

Aerosol-generating procedures on persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19

  • Limit employees present to only those essential;
  • Perform procedures in an airborne infection isolation room, if available; and clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment after the procedure is completed.

Physical distancing

  • Ensure each employee is separated from all other people by at least 6 feet when indoors.

Physical barriers

  • Install cleanable or disposable solid barriers at each fixed work location in non-patient care areas where each employee is not separated from other people by at least 6 feet.

Cleaning and disinfection

  • Follow standard practices for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and equipment in accordance with CDC guidelines in patient care areas, resident rooms, and for medical devices and equipment; in all other areas, clean high- touch surfaces and equipment at least once a day and provide alcohol-based hand rub that is at least 60% alcohol or provide readily accessible handwashing facilities.

Ventilation

  • Ensure that employer-owned or controlled HVAC system(s) are used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and the design specifications of the system(s); air filters are rated Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher if the system allows it; airborne infection isolation rooms are maintained and operated in accordance with their design and construction criteria; and intake ports are cleaned, maintained, and cleared of debris.

Health screening and medical management

  • Screen each employee before each work day and shift (for example, by asking employees to self-monitor); o Provide employer-required testing at no cost to the employee (Note: employers are not required to conduct screening testing);
  • Require each employee to promptly notify the employer when the employee is COVID-19 positive, suspected of having COVID-19, or experiencing certain symptoms;
  • Notify certain employees within 24 hours when a person who has been in the workplace is COVID-19 positive; o Follow requirements for removing workers from the workplace;
  • Make decisions on returning employees to work in accordance with guidance from a licensed healthcare provider or specified CDC guidance; and
  • Continue to pay removed employees in most circumstances.

Vaccination

  • Provide reasonable time and paid leave for vaccinations and vaccine side effects.

Training

  • Ensure each employee receives training in a language and at a literacy level the employee understands so that the employee comprehends disease transmission, tasks and situations in the workplace that could result in COVID-19 infection, and relevant policies and procedures; ensure each employee receives additional training when changes occur that affect the employee’s risk of infection, if policies or procedures are changed, or when there is an indication that an employee has not retained necessary understanding or skill.

Anti-Retaliation

  • Inform employees of their rights to the protections required by this standard and do not discharge or in any manner discriminate against employees for exercising these rights or for engaging in actions required by the standard.

Recordkeeping and Reporting COVID-19 Fatalities and Hospitalizations to OSHA

  • Establish a COVID-19 log (if more than 10 employees) of all employee instances of COVID-19 without regard to occupational exposure and follow requirements for making records available to employees.
  • Report to OSHA each work-related COVID-19 fatality within 8 hours of learning about the fatality, and each work-related COVID-19 in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours of learning about the in-patient hospitalization.

Mini respiratory protection program (29 CFR 1910.504)

  • Under certain circumstances in the ETS, and only for employees who are not exposed to suspected/confirmed sources of COVID-19 or other hazards that may require respirator use covered under the normal Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134), the employer must provide training on inspecting, putting on, removing, and using respirators like N-95s; the limitations and capabilities of the respirator; procedures and schedules for storing, maintaining, and inspecting respirators; how to perform a user seal check; and how to recognize medical signs and symptoms that may limit or prevent the effective use of respirators.

Recommendations to Healthcare Employers in California

If you are a healthcare employer and believe OSHA's Healthcare ETS applies to you, OSHA has prepared a useful flowchart to determine whether your organization must comply. The flowchart can be found here. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4125.pdf

In addition, the website has useful forms, plans, and templates for healthcare employers to implement mandatory ETS requirements.


Guidance for Protecting Non-Healthcare Workers

On August 13, 2021, OSHA issued guidance for non-healthcare employers. OSHA stated "This guidance is designed to help employers protect workers who are unvaccinated (including people who are not fully vaccinated) or otherwise at risk, including if they are immunocompromised, and also implement new guidance involving workers who are fully vaccinated but located in areas of substantial or high community transmission." The guidance can be found here. https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/safework

Most employers will recognize the similarity between OSHA's recommendations below and Cal/OSHA's ETS issued and effective June 17, 2021. In California most employers should adhere to Cal/OSHA's standards which are more stringent and mandatory. OSHA's guidance below is generally suggestive and intended as guidance only. We include a summary of the guidance below for informational purposes.

Guidance for Workers- What Workers Need to Know

The guidance includes advice to workers on how to protect themselves against exposure to and transmission of COVID-19. It encourages vaccination and recommends following employer mandated COVID-19 prevention programs, precautions and policies at the workplace. Further, the guidance recommends all employees, whether vaccinated or not, wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission. OSHA does not define what it considers to be criteria for "areas of substantial or high transmission".

Guidance for Employers - The Role of Employers

OSHA recommends that "employers should engage with workers and their representatives to determine how to implement multi-layered interventions to protect unvaccinated and otherwise at risk workers and mitigate the spread of COVID-19". Those measure should include:

  • Facilitate employees getting vaccinated: OSHA suggest employers grant paid time off for employees to get vaccinated and recover from any side effects or work with local health officials to provide vaccinations on site. OSHA also suggests mandating vaccines for unvaccinated workers or require regular testing in addition to other precautions like masks and physical distancing.
  • Instruct any infected workers or workers with symptoms to stay home from work. Fully vaccinated employees with a known exposure should get tested 3-5 days after exposure and should wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test. Unvaccinated workers or workers who are not fully vaccinated with a known exposure should be tested immediately and, if negative, tested again in 5-7 days after last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop.
  • Implement physical distancing in all communal work areas for unvaccinated and at risk workers: OSHA recommends physical distancing requirements be implemented in those workplaces where unvaccinated employees congregate, including limiting the number of employees working or communing in one place at any given time. For example, staggering rest and meal breaks, working remotely, implementing flexible meeting options, etc. Where physical distancing isn't possible for example in fixed workstations employers should install transparent shields or barriers.
  • Provide workers with face coverings, surgical masks, or respirators. OSHA recommends unvaccinated workers wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth in public indoor settings in areas that have substantial or high transmission. Fully vaccinated workers may chose to wear face coverings in indoor public settings. Employers should provide face coverings or other PPE at no cost to their employees. Workers need not wear face coverings outdoors unless they chose to do so.
  • Educate and train workers on COVID-19 policies and procedures: Employers should communicate COVID-19 prevention plans, precautions or policies to workers on languages they understand. Training should be directed to employees, contractors and others onsite and should include (1) basic facts about COVID-19, how it spreads and the importance of physical distancing, ventilation, vaccines, and hand hygiene; and (2) the employers workplace policies implemented to protect workers from COBID-19.
  • Suggest or require unvaccinated customers, visitors, or guests wear face coverings in public facing workplaces, and wear face covering in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.


  • Maintain ventilation systems
  • Perform routine cleaning and disinfection
  • Record and report COVID-19 infections and deaths
  • Implement protections from retaliation and set up anonymous process for workers to complain about COVID-19 hazards.

Measures Appropriate for Higher Risk Workplaces with Mixed Vaccination Status Workers

OSHA specifically addresses additional steps employers should take in high risk environments, particularly in areas of substantial or high transmission. High risk environments include those where employees must work close to one another, where the duration of contact is high, where workers cough and sneeze in confined, close spaces, where employees share transportation, or where communal housing is common. OSHA specifically states higher risk workplaces include the following:

  • manufacturing
  • meat, seafood and poultry processing
  • high volume retail and grocery
  • agricultural processing settings

In high risk workplaces employers should not only follow the guidance set forth above for all workplaces but should also:

Stagger break times or provide temporary break areas to avoid larger groups congregating in one areas; Stagger arrival and departure times Provide visual cues (like floor markings and signs) to remind employees to physically distance; Require unvaccinated or otherwise at risk employees and vaccinated employees in areas of substantial or high transmsission areas wear face coverings Implement strategies tailored to the workplace to improve ventilation Require or encourage customers, guests, and visitors to wear face coverings

Recommendations for California Employers

California employers who are subject to Cal/OSHA's mandatory ETS should continue to adhere to that regulation which generally is stricter and more protective than OSHA's guidance. OSHA's guidance for employers in higher risk workplaces should ensure their COVID-19 Prevention Programs, as required by Cal/OSHA ETS, considers and includes, where appropriate, those recommendations made by OSHA to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

CAL/OSHA MAY SHUT DOWN A WORKPLACE THAT CREATES AN IMMINENT HAZARD

As codified in LC 6409.1, AB 685 expands and clarifies Cal/OSHA’s authority to shut down workplaces or operations when it finds an imminent hazard due to COVID-19 exposure risk. If the agency finds that a workplace, operation or process exposes employees to a risk of COVID-19 infection and creates an imminent hazard to employees, it may prohibit entry to the workplace and may shut it down through the issuance of "Orders Prohibiting Use" (OPU).

Imminent hazard: Per Cal/OSHA, this is "any condition or practice which poses a hazard to employees, which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately, or before the imminence of such hazard can be eliminated through normal enforcement procedures."

Cal/OSHA inspections might result in citations with monetary penalties. The citation classifies each violation based on the severity of the hazard. Citations are classified as serious when Cal/OSHA demonstrates that there is a realistic possibility that death or serious physical harm could result from the actual hazard created by the violation. The agency immediately may shut down facilities, departments, operations or processes that, in its opinion, create an imminent hazard to employees.

If Cal/OSHA exercises that authority, it must provide the employer with notice of the action and post that notice in a conspicuous place at the work site. Restrictions must be limited to the immediate area of risk and may not prohibit entry to or operation of other areas, operations or processes that don’t pose imminent hazards.

Reduced Notice Periods for Issuance of Serious Violation Citations Related to COVID-19: Typically, Cal/OSHA must provide an employer 15 days' notice of its intent to issue a serious violation citation. It also must provide the employer the opportunity to respond and rebut the proposed citation before issuance. Employers can prevent the issuance of the citation by providing timely response and rebuttal.

AB 685 modifies Cal/OSHA’s notice requirements to employers when issuing a serious violation citation related to COVID-19 risk. The agency is not obligated to provide 15 days' notice and may issue the serious violation citation immediately. The employer will still be able to contest the citation through existing Cal/OSHA appeal procedures, but may not prevent the issuance of the citation by rebuttal. Employers must determine immediately when and whether an appeal should be filed, as they won’t have the opportunity to negotiate with Cal/OSHA prior to the issuance of a serious violation citation. See the procedure for the issuance of an OPU.

Cal/OSHA’s expanded authority under AB 685 expires on Jan. 1, 2023.

Recommendations to Businesses

We anticipate that the new rule will require employers to have a COVID-19 action plan that identifies risks and determines how to control exposure through actions such as using protective gear, social distancing, and improving ventilation.

Employers are wise to draft and implement a separate COVID-19 pandemic plan distinct from its injury and illness prevention plan. The COVID-19 plan should address exposure risks, the manner in which the employer will correct the risks and how it will enforce procedures, such as through training, inspections, and review of processes for effectiveness. Moreover, it must be tailored to the employer's specific business, taking into account working conditions, whether workers are on-site or off-site, whether the business deals with the public, and how disinfection, PPE, and social distancing will be used to help keep employees safe. The plan also should specify how employees will be notified of exposure risk and what actions will be taken to disinfect and mitigate risk should there be a positive COVID-19 case at the work site.

Review CDC guidance on specific industries when developing a disinfection and safety plan. Remember, the plan must be tailored to specific industries and businesses. The CDC is a good place for employers to start drafting their own plans

OSHA WILL INSPECT HIGH-RISK EMPLOYERS FOR COVID-19 COMPLIANCE

Under the Biden Administration, OSHA launched a national emphasis program (NEP) March 12, 2021 to protect high-risk workers from COVID-19. The program emphasizes investigations of employers who retaliate against employees who complain about unsafe working conditions.

The goal of this NEP is to significantly reduce or eliminate worker exposures to the coronavirus by targeting industries and work sites where employees may have a high frequency of close contact exposure, and to control the health hazards associated with such exposure. That involves a combination of inspection targeting, outreach to employers, and compliance assistance. OSHA's NEP can be found here.

The NEP program seeks to substantially reduce or eliminate coronavirus exposure for workers in companies where risks are high, and to protect workers who raise concerns that their employer is failing to protect them.

OSHA is forgoing the typical 90-day waiting period before initiating investigations; the NEP took effect immediately. It will remain in effect for as long as one year, but OSHA may amend or revoke it as the pandemic subsides.

Industries Targeted for Inspection

OSHA will target seven industries for inspection, all of which are characterized by close contact of workers. Industries targeted include, but are not limited to:

  • Health care
  • The health-care industry includes hospitals, doctors offices, dentists' offices, long-term care facilities, and home health-care services.
  • Grocery and big box stores
  • Temporary staffing agencies
  • Full-service and fast food restaurants
  • Food and beverage manufacturing
  • Construction
  • Critical manufacturing
  • This includes paper, chemicals, plastics, and metals

How Companies Will Be Targeted for Inspection

OSHA will target specific businesses within the high-risk industries based on several factors including:

  • fatalities
  • complaints and referrals:
  • allegations of potential worker exposures to coronavirus (for example, insufficient controls in place such as PPE), or involving workers suspected or confirmed positive for COVID-19, or with symptoms of exposure to the virus;
  • review of injury and illness date, prior inspection findings, and inspection data:
  • companies that have had frequent violations, injuries (including positive COVID-19 cases);
  • random selection.

What Is OSHA Looking for in Its Inspections?

OSHA's inspections include (but are not limited to) confirmation that the employer is in compliance with all OSHA safety rules specifically related to COVID-19 prevention measures. It will inspect to determine if employers are complying with all safety requirements, including the use of face coverings and other PPE. OSHA is authorized to review records, interview employees and owners, and do on-site inspections of all parts of a facility. Employers should ensure that they have reviewed and implemented all OSHA safety requirements as found here.

OSHA has the authority to cite employers and shut them down for significant violations.

Recommendations for Employers

Even if your business isn't in one of the high-risk industries targeted, it should prepare for a possible inspection triggered by an employee complaint.

California employers are subject to Cal/OSHA and OSHA requirements, and must comply with both agency's requirements. Proactively, employers should:

  • Develop and implement a COVID-19 prevention program. (See the section Cal/OSHA Imposes Covid-19 Safety Regulations on Business, COVID-19 Prevention Program.)
  • Identify a manager or administrator to handle OSHA and COVID-19 compliance.
  • Train employees on how to prevent and reduce exposure and how to participate in the compliance effort.


OSHA AND CAL/OSHA RECORDING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal government agency. The corollary state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is known as Cal/OSHA. They hold employers to account for keeping a safe workplace. Generally, the requirements and standards of both agencies overlap, although Cal/OSHA is more expansive. But employers are regulated by both.

Most employers with 10 or more employees are required to keep a record of certain injuries or illnesses. Even if a business is exempt from the recording requirement, it must report certain serious injuries or illnesses. To determine which employers are subject to record-keeping, see OSHA and Cal/OSHA.

When employers record injuries and illnesses, the information usually is communicated to OSHA or Cal/OSHA only as statistics. Either agency may request additional information. In California, covered injuries and illnesses are recorded on Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illness. An in-depth review of OSHA and Cal/OSHA reporting requirements is beyond the scope of this guide. Employers should review the OSHA and Cal/OSHA websites for further details on record-keeping and reporting.

It's not easy to determine whether COVID-19 must be recorded or reported –– clear guidance has not emerged, and it might not be possible to know if someone contracted the virus at the workplace.


RECORDABLE INCIDENTS

Cal/OSHA and OSHA agree that employers must record cases of COVID-19 only if all of these apply:

  1. The case is confirmed as COVID-19.
  2. The case is work related, as defined by 29 Code of Federal Regulations § 1904.5.
  3. The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria defined in 29 Code of Federal Regulations § 1904.7 (that is, medical treatment beyond first aid, or days away from work).

Is the case confirmed?

OSHA guidelines state that a COVID-19 case is considered to be a covered case when an individual has at least one respiratory specimen that tested positive. Cal/OSHA agrees with this guideline, but adds that if the case is not confirmed through testing it still might be considered a confirmed case if it is work related and results in:

  • death;
  • days away from work;
  • restricted work or transfer to another job;
  • medical treatment beyond first aid;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional.

See recently issued Cal/OSHA guidance. The guidance is clear that quarantining is not considered "days away from work" for recording purposes. Unfortunately, Cal/OSHA guidance doesn't define whether COVID-19 alone is a significant injury or illness for recording purposes. An employer would have to evaluate the facts of the individual case to make a determination. For example, if an employee becomes ill with a suspected case of COVID-19, quarantines for 14 days and returns to work, that is probably insufficient to determine if the illness was "significant."

Is the case work related?

An illness is work related “if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition ....” [1] The regulation defines several exceptions for illnesses that occur in the work environment, but are not work related. One notable such exception is an illness that “involves signs or symptoms that surface at work but result solely from a non-work-related event or exposure that occurs outside the work environment” [2] –– such illness is not recordable. But determining where, when and how an individual contracted COVID-19 is nearly impossible, and Cal/OSHA does not help. For record-keeping purposes, a COVID-19 case is considered work related if there is a known exposure in one of these instances:

  • exposure to people in the workplace known to be infected with coronavirus (which causes COVID-19);
  • working in the same area where people carrying coronavirus were located;
  • sharing tools, materials or vehicles with persons known to have been carrying coronavirus.

Cal/OSHA doesn't define what is meant by "exposure" to persons in the workplace. The CDC has guidance about community exposure that defines "exposure" to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 as close contact (fewer then 6 feet apart) for a period greater than 15 minutes[3]. It's unclear whether Cal/OSHA would adopt such a definition or would consider "working in the same area" as people working within 6 feet of an affected person.

For cases in which “it is not obvious whether the precipitating event or exposure occurred in the work environment or occurring away from work,” the employer “must evaluate the employee’s work duties and environment” to determine work relatedness.[4] That means employees in a high-risk environment –– a hospital or first response agency –– are more likely to become infected through work than an office worker who is teleworking. If multiple employees contract the illness, of course, it's more likely that the infection was contracted at work. Factors employers should evaluate include:

  • the type, extent and duration of contact the employee had at the work environment with other people, particularly the general public;
  • physical distancing and other controls that affect the likelihood of work-related exposure;
  • whether the employee had work-related contact with anyone who exhibits signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Cal/OSHA makes clear an investigation is necessary to determine whether a case of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection is work related, which would invoke the recording requirement. The vagaries of Cal/OSHA guidance remind employers to take precautions in bringing employees back to work and supervising them in the workplace. Employers should develop policies and practices that protect employees from contracting the illness, including social distancing, use of PPE and enhanced hygiene practices. Effective implementation of these practices will support a determination that exposure didn't occur in the workplace.

On May 19, OSHA updated guidance to assist employers' investigations into whether the illness is work related. Cal/OSHA has no guidance on the sufficiency of the investigation process so, employers should follow OSHA's lead.

In determining whether an employer complied with its recording requirements, OSHA considers the reasonableness of the investigation into work relatedness. The agency recognizes that employers don't know everything about their employees and are not medical experts, and recommends that they follow these steps when they learn of a COVID-19 case:

  1. Ask the employee how he or she believes they contracted the illness.
  2. Discuss with the employee, mindful of privacy concerns, his or her activities both inside and outside of work that might have led to the illness. And
  3. Review the employee's work environment for potential COVID-19 exposure.

Employers should question employees about possible outside exposure immediately upon learning of a confirmed or suspected case. Contact tracing not only will assist employers in determining whether exposure was work related, it will also help them notify co-workers and others of potential exposure. The workplace review will focus mainly on the number of workers who have contracted COVID-19. OSHA also will investigate whether the employer has implemented and enforced policies and practices to address the spread of the disease in the workplace, including whether the employer followed guidelines issued by the CDC. OSHA will consider information and evidence readily available to the employer when it made the determination of work relatedness. If the employer later learns more information about the employee's illness, OSHA may consider this information to evaluate whether the employer made a reasonable work-relatedness determination.

OSHA will look at various sources of information that might show whether the illness is work related. Examples of likely work relatedness include:

  • Several workers who work closely together develop the illness and there is no other explanation except proximity of co-workers.
  • The illness is contracted shortly after a lengthy, close exposure to a particular customer, vendor or co-worker who has a confirmed case and there is no other explanation.
  • The employee's job duties include frequent, close exposure to the general public in a place where there is ongoing community transmission and there is no other other explanation.

Examples of nonwork relatedness include:

  • The employee is the only worker in the vicinity to contract the illness and the employee's job duties don't include frequent contact with the public.
  • Outside the workplace, the employee closely and frequently associated with someone who has COVID-19 and who is not an employee.

Finally, OSHA will review evidence of causation from the employee, the employee's health-care providers and public health authorities when such information is available.

If, after making a reasonable inquiry under the factors outlined above, an employer cannot determine if it's more likely than not that the COVID-19 illness is work related, the employer needn't record it. The key for employers is to conduct a reasonable, thorough and objective evaluation of work relatedness, then to make the appropriate determination.

Practice Tip: A thorough and well-documented investigation could help defend against subsequent unsafe workplace allegations, and limit the employer's workers' compensation exposure.

Does the case involve one or more of the recording criteria?

Finally, to be recordable the confirmed, work-related COVID-19 case also must involve one of the factors noted above:

  • death;
  • days away from work;
  • restricted work or transfer to another job;
  • medical treatment beyond first aid;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional.

When all three criteria are met, recording is required.


REPORTABLE INCIDENTS

In addition to their recording obligations, employers also are required to report certain work-related injuries and illnesses. The standard for reporting is significantly higher than the standard for recording. If a case is reportable it is also recordable, but not vice versa. Employers familiar with cases that are recordable but not reportable know that recording injuries and illness is more common than reporting injuries and illness.

Cal/OSHA requires employers to report any serious illness, serious injury or death of an employee that occurred in connection with work. The report must be made within eight hours of when the employer knew or should have known of the illness or injury.[5].

Among other things, a serious illness includes fatalities, and any illness that occurs at work or in connection with work that requires inpatient hospitalization for reasons other than medical observation or diagnostic testing. To be reportable, the illness must be confirmed, work related and meet recording criteria as described above, and COVID-19 hospitalizations must be for the purpose of treatment for the illness.[6].

Cal/OSHA has not been specific about the meaning or timing of an inpatient hospitalization, nor the timing of death, for purposes of reporting a COVID-19 case. OSHA regulations state that an inpatient admission must be reported only if the hospitalization occurs within 24 hours of the work-related incident. In addition, OSHA mandates that fatalities must be reported only if they occur within 30 days of the workplace incident. It's difficult to determine whether a COVID-19 transmission is work related, and, if it is, exactly when it became an "incident." So, COVID-19 transmission and disease progression could result in fewer COVID-19 reportable cases.

Cal/OSHA is clear that reporting a serious illness is not an admission that it is work related, nor is it an admission of responsibility. The guidance is silent as to whether merely recording an incident of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 is an admission of work relatedness. But because there's a higher standard for reporting requirements, and because an employer analyzing reporting requirements first must determine that the injury or illness is recordable, it's safe to assume that recording also does not denote an admission of work relatedness or responsibility.

Finally, Cal/OSHA confirms that Gov. Newsom's Executive Order N-62-20 regarding workers' compensation eligibility does not alter employers' recording or reporting obligations. CalOSHA guidance can be found here.

Given the confusion of unclear guidance, a prudent California business should seek advice from an attorney about whether the infection is work related and reportable.


COMPARE PRESUMPTION AND PROVISION OF A CLAIM FORM

In determining whether a particular case of COVID-19 is work related for purposes of recording or reporting to OSHA, an employer is held to a "more likely than not" standard. That is, is it more likely than not that the illness came from work?

Note: This is not the same standard imposed on employers for the provision of a workers' compensation claim form. As discussed in-depth in this guide's section When Must a Claim Form Be Provided?, the employer is not required to provide a claim form and notice of rights to an employee unless the employer has actual knowledge that the COVID-19 is work related. Even a "reasonable certainty" is not enough to impose this obligation on the employer. It seems clear, then, that an employer could investigate and determine that a COVID-19 case must be recorded or even reported per OSHA standards, but still not be obliged to provide a claim form.

Also noteworthy is that the governor has issued an executive order that finds COVID-19 to be presumptively work related for some employees. This is discussed in-depth in the section COVID-19 Presumptions. This presumption goes to the burden of proof in the event that the parties contest whether a case is work related. This sort of dispute might result from the filing of a claim in the workers' compensation system. The executive order, however, says nothing about employer knowledge of when a case might be work related, or the standard under which the employer might make this decision per OSHA requirements. Accordingly, the presumption, and the likelihood that in a dispute the employee probably would prove work relatedness, does not pertain to the investigation the employer makes before a dispute arises. In other words, the employer's investigation and conclusions should be done independently of the presumption.


POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF NONCOMPLIANCE WITH OSHA AND CAL/OSHA REQUIREMENTS

OSHA and Cal/OSHA have inspection and audit rights, and also the authority to impose significant penalties. They can even shut down a business. These are all possible consequences of noncompliance:

  • OSHA and Cal/OSHA inspections resulting from employee complaints or reports of serious illness or injury (possibly including multiple incidents of workplace COVID-19);
  • stop-work orders and red tags if an inspection finds imminent hazards;
  • Cal/OSHA monetary penalties of more than $10,000 for a "serious" citation;
  • criminal liability.

Civil lawsuits brought by employees for unsafe working conditions or retaliation for making health and safety complaints also might result from an employer's failure to take seriously its responsibility to assess risk, determine best practices to protect the health and safety of employees and implement effective policies and practices.


RETALIATION IS PROHIBITED

The COVID-19 pandemic probably will prompt an uptick in workplace health and safety complaints. Employers should be cautious in how they respond to such employee actions. Taking adverse action against any employee because he or she made a health and safety complaint could be considered retaliatory. Employees who make a good-faith oral or written complaint about their workplace safety to the employer, the employee’s representative (a union rep), or governmental agencies are protected from retaliation even if the complaint turns out to be unfounded.[7]

Practice Tip: Employers should consider how they respond to an employee who wants to stay home because he or she fears that the workplace is unsafe. If you believe that you have implemented policies and procedures that comply with OSHA, Cal/OSHA, and CDC guidelines, you may choose to tell the employee that the leave is not authorized. But do so with caution. If you are uncertain that your policies and procedures are fully compliant with federal and state guidelines, you might want to approve the absence. If you grant one employee's request, however, you might be required to grant all such requests. Granting the employee’s request to stay home might be the best response, especially if the workplace has a high risk of exposure, multiple employees have contracted COVID-19, and/or the individual making the request is at higher risk of developing complications from the illness.


OSHA WITHDRAWS RECORDABLE AND REPORTABLE FAQS

As soon as OSHA issued new reporting guidance through its FAQs site, it quietly withdrew the information and the webpage without explanation. Employers should not rely on the briefly accessible guidance. We will update this section if and when OSHA reissues the information.


See Also

References

  1. California Code or Regulations, Title 8 section 14300(5)(a))
  2. California Code or Regulations, Title 8 section 14300(5)(b)(2)
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html
  4. California Code or Regulations, Title 8 section 14300(5)(b)(3)
  5. California Code of Regulations, Title 8 section 342(a)
  6. California Code or Regulations, Title 8 section 330(h)
  7. California Labor Code 6310

< CAL/OSHA Imposes New Notice and Reporting Obligations for COVID-19 Workplace Exposure Table of Contents Appendix — Web Links For Local Safety Orders >

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