At the end of the year, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued updated guidance regarding Isolation and Quarantine, which applied to workplaces per the Governor’s prior Executive Order. The timing of this guidance was rather awkward, as the Cal/OSHA Standards Board had recently approved changes to the Cal/OSHA ETS set to go into effect
COVID-19
California Extends Indoor Masking Requirements & Los Angeles County Mandates Medical-Grade Masks for Workplaces
In mid-December, as COVID-19 cases began to rise, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reinstituted indoor masking requirements and Cal/OSHA confirmed that requirements applied in the workplace. When issued, the mandate was only supposed to remain in effect until January 15, 2022.
However, with COVID-19 cases still on an uptick, the CDPH has…
Cal/OSHA Finally Publishes Public Notice to Follow CDPH Guidance
On December 16, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board adopted the third version of the Cal/OSHA ETS with new exclusion and return to work requirements for COVID-19 cases and close contacts.
On December 30, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued new guidance for Isolation and Quarantine for the General Public. This new…
California Mandates COVID-19 Booster for Workers in Health Care, Adult Care Facilities and Direct Care by February 1, 2022
Over the summer as California saw a rise in COVID-19 cases, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued orders mandating vaccinations of health care workers and workers in adult care facilities and direct care workers.
With cases again on the rise, the state has issued two, updated mandates that cover: (1) health care…
California Employers Must Comply with the Cal/OSHA ETS While Uncertainty Continues with Federal ETS
On December 16, 2021, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board voted to readopt the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (Cal/OSHA ETS) with several revisions. And just a day later the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the stay on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (federal ETS). The timing…
Cal/OSHA’s ETS is Amended and Extended to April 2022
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…
Clarification for Masks in the Workplace from CDPH and Cal/OSHA
Less than 24 hours after the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) new mask mandate went into effect, the CDPH updated its guidance to clarify the application of the mandate. Previously, the mandate by the CDPH referenced “indoor public settings” without further definition. In the updated guidance, the CDPH clarifies that “the guidance applies to…
Masks are Back in California
Only a month ago, Los Angeles and the Bay Area released criteria for lifting masking requirements that had been in place since the summer. However, with recent increases in COVID-19 cases, California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a new mandate requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public settings irrespective of vaccine status,…
Will They or Won’t They? Cal/OSHA Scheduled to Vote on ETS Readoption
The federal OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is currently paused while the Sixth Circuit decides its fate. Similarly, Cal/OSHA had previously postponed its discussions of changes to the state’s COVID-19 ETS to see what would happen with OSHA.
However, time is starting to tick on the current Cal/OSHA ETS, which expires on January…
Cal/OSHA Postpones Discussion of Changes to COVID-19 ETS
As uncertainty about the federal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard persists, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board has announced it will not discuss the changes to California COVID-19 ETS at its November 18th meeting. The Board’s consideration of the Horcher proposal (a verbatim adoption of the federal OSHA regulation) will be delayed until there is a…