OSHA Issues COVID-19 National Emphasis Program
On March 12, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rolled out a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NEPs are tools utilized by the Agency to address specific hazards in high-risk industries.
This NEP was launched in response to President Biden’s recent Executive Order which directed OSHA to develop a national program focusing on COVID-19 enforcement. Its goal is “to significantly reduce or eliminate worker exposures to [COVID-19] by targeting industries and worksites where employees may have a high frequency of close contact exposures and therefore, controlling the health hazards associated with such exposures.”
Hellman & Associates’ (H&A) legal advisory partner, Sherman & Howard, issued a clear and concise summary of the NEP. Click on this link to download a copy of this important summary.
If you are an ASSUREDComplianceSM partner and one of the targeted industries associated with this NEP, the H&A team is prepared to manage your COVID-19 exposure program and for any potential inspection that may occur. If you are not an ASSUREDComplianceSM partner or EHS Support client, you need to take immediate action to ensure your company is in compliance with this NEP.
Don’t have a safety program in place? You can contact us to learn how to keep your employees safe through COVID-19 and beyond. We offer industry specific programs and, if you incur a citation for something we should have managed, we pay for it.
