As the pandemic continues to spread rapidly around the world, so do the COVID-19 safety precautions intended to keep businesses, and their employees, safe. With the sudden rush of new onsite procedures, many companies have also found themselves with new OSHA violations they have never needed to think about before. Here are the top OSHA violations regarding COVID-19 onsite from your safety partners at STC:
Medical Evaluations and Fit Testing
The most frequently cited OSHA violations during COVID-19 inspections deal with respiratory protection, specifically the lack of medical evaluations and fit testing. Employers are required to provide an employee with a medical evaluation before fit testing them for a respirator. Each time a new respirator is used, the employee must be fit-check prior to using the respirator.
Respiratory Protection Program
The second most violated OSHA regulation dealing with COVID-19 is related to respiratory protection programs. Employers are required to establish, implement or update a respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. They must also provide workers with the mandatory information from Appendix D (Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under Standard). Failure to comply will result in citations from OSHA.
Training OSHA Violations
Finally, the third most cited OSHA violations all deal with training and information. If an employer did not annually provide effective training and basic information as described in Appendix D, they may receive a citation. Employers are required to ensure that their employees are able to demonstrate knowledge of a wide variety of COVID-19 workplace safety topics. It is crucial that each employee is able to understand this information to practice it on the job.
If your company is like so many others that are struggling to stay up-to-date on the new OSHA regulations regarding COVID-19, STC is here to help you make it simple. We specialize in providing companies in a wide variety of industries with managed safety services, instructor-led trainings and safety consulting services. Want to learn more about how STC can help your business? Check out our blog today!
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