As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be expanding its presence at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle patients with the virus, the agency said.
OSHA announced the short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at these facilities in a March 7 news release, citing a need to ensure continued mitigation to control COVID-19 spread as well as future variants. The agency also cited a continued need to protect healthcare workers who are at increased risk for contracting the virus.
"We are using available tools while we finalize a healthcare standard," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said in the news release. "We want to be ahead of any future events in healthcare."
OSHA's short-term increase in highly focused inspections is expected to take place over three months from March 9 to June 9.
The agency said it will target high-hazard healthcare facilities during this time to examine compliance actions taken, including facilities' readiness to address ongoing or future COVID-19 surges.
This initiative, which includes follow-up and monitoring inspections of healthcare facilities that OSHA had previously inspected or investigated, supplements the agency's targeted enforcement under the revised COVID-19 National Emphasis Program. The program took effect in July with the goal of ensuring employees in high-hazard industries or work tasks are protected from contracting COVID-19.
On Dec. 27, OSHA announced that non-record-keeping portions of the emergency temporary standard for healthcare workers — which includes rules regarding ventilation, physical barriers and other safety-related issues — would no longer be enforced, but rules regarding logs and recordings would remain in effect. The agency said it plans to issue a final rule.
Read more about OSHA's COVID-19 Focused Inspection Initiative here.