National Nurses United urged the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration Nov. 3 to adopt a permanent standard on COVID-19 in healthcare institutions, building on the emergency temporary standard adopted June 2020, according to a press release.
The union said the standard should be built on the agency's current emergency temporary standards.
Their recommendations for the standards include:
- Requiring all healthcare employers to have written infection control safety and implementation plans.
- Providing all nurses and other frontline healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 with optimal personal protective equipment, including respiratory protection, eye protection, protective clothing, and gloves.
- Protective requirements on notification of health care employees exposed to Covid-19 in the workplace, and provision of pay and benefits for those who must take time off as a result of exposure or infection.
- Mandates on screening and testing of patients and visitors, mask wearing, physical distancing, and ventilation.
Read the full letter here.