b'Garys Corner19A MINUTE ABOUT COVID-AND SAFETY GUIDANCEGary Auman, MRCA Legal CounselA s I am sure we all suspected,2021. guidancedocumentreferredtointhe the new administration hasThe takenanacceleratedandExecutive Order was issued on January 29th and aggressive approach with regards tois 13 pages long and goes into quite a bit of detail. safety in the workplace. On JanuaryI will not go into the detail covered by the guidance 21, 2021 President Biden issued andocument but just touch upon some of the high Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health andpoints. This guidance document can be found on the Safety. In this Executive Order, the President statedOSHA website at www.osha.gov under Coronavirus that it is the policy of his administration to ensure theresources.OSHAstatesthatemployersshould health and safety of workers as a national priority andimplement COVID19 prevention programs. Your a moral imperative. He further stated that the federalprogram should be developed by: (1) conducting a government must move quickly to reduce the risk thathazard assessment; (2) identifying a combination workers may contract COVID19 in the workplace.of measures that limit the spread of COVID19 in In Section 2 of the Executive Order, he stated thatthe workplace; (3) adopting measures to ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor shall issue, withinworkers who are infected or potentially infected are 2 weeks of the date of the Executive Order, revisedseparated and sent home from the workplace; and (4) guidance to employers on workplace safety duringimplementing protections from retaliation for workers the COVID19 pandemic. He also required that thewho raise COVID19 related concerns.Assistant Secretary of Labor consider whether any emergency temporary standards on COVID19 areWhile OSHA uses the word should, employers necessary, and if it is determined that such standardswhoareconcernedforthewell-beingoftheir are necessary, they shall be issued by March 15,employees and who wish to avoid an OSHA General 16 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'