On August 13, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released updated general industry guidance for COVID-19 that is applicable to all workplaces. OSHA’s general industry guidance, which is advisory and creates no binding legal requirements, focuses on unvaccinated workers and others who are “at risk” (i.e., immunocompromised individuals).
OSHA has added additional recommendations that apply to all workers, including fully vaccinated workers, to comply with the Center for Disease Control’s July 27, 2021, mask and testing recommendations for fully vaccinated people. This is significant because the previous version of the OSHA guidance allowed fully vaccinated workers to go without face coverings and physical distancing whether indoors or outdoors.
The following update addresses this OSHA guidance.