AFGE is calling on the Biden administration to reinstate the Health Care Worker Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
OSHA Dec. 27 announced the withdrawal of the ETS, which will harm health care workers across the country, including those working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Prisons, Department of Defense, and others.
ETS protected workers by mandating that employers provide personal protective equipment, physical barriers, ventilation, and require screening of each individual who enters the facility. It also provided paid leave to workers who must quarantine due to infections or exposure – which was critical to ensuring that workers stay home when they are sick.
Among the more protective measures was the requirement to develop and implement a workplace-specific COVID-19 plan with involvement from employees and their representatives.
While we applaud OSHA for working on a permanent infectious disease standard, something our union has long fought for, we know that finalizing such a standard will take years – which is time our front-line workers do not have as the Omicron variant continues to surge, resulting in thousands of new infections each day.
This decision is a step backward for health care workers who are now entering year three of risking their health in service of the American public. Stay tuned for ways you can get involved in the fight to protect worker safety.
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