Cal-OSHA Votes on Workplace Rules

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On Thursday, June 3, Cal-OSHA met to discuss workplace rules and COVID-19. After meeting for almost 10 hours, the board ultimately voted to allow workers in a room to take off their mask if every person is fully vaccinated and does not have COVID-19 symptoms.

Masks will be required if anyone in the room is not fully vaccinated.  The proposed rules are subject to review by the Office of Administrative Law and are expected to be approved and go into effect on June 15.  The standards board voted to convene a subcommittee to immediately revisit the new rule and to see if they can more closely adhere to the state and federal guidelines. Other provisions of the rule are as follows:

  • Unless wearing respirators such as N95 masks, workers must remain physically distanced until July 31, if they work indoors or at outdoor events with over 10,000 attendees.
  • Employers will need to provide respirators, such as N95 masks, to be used voluntarily by workers who are not vaccinated and working indoors or at large outdoor events.
  • Employers will need to provide testing for those not vaccinated at no-cost during paid time if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Employers will be required to pay workers who self-isolate because of their exposure to COVID-19 at workplaces.
  • Fully vaccinated workers or workers who have recovered from COVID-19 within 90 days do not have to self-isolate if they are not experiencing symptoms.