Environmental Service Workers (ESW) have grappled with the coronavirus pandemic for the last two years, which has placed them and their families at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. On March 7th 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced an enforcement memorandum indicating a short term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat COVID-19 patients. The objectives of these increased inspections are to:
guarantee continued efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus and potential variants;
protect and ensure the health and safety of health workers; and
certify the compliance and readiness of these high–hazard health care facilities in protecting workers from the virus and its variants. Inspections are intended to be carried out from March 9, 2022 to June 9, 2022.
This initiative supplements OSHA’s targeted enforcement under the Revised COVID-19 National Emphasis Program by conducting focused follow-up and monitoring inspections of previously inspected healthcare sites. This initiative and the revised COVID-19 National Emphasis Program would comprise 15 percent of OSHA’s enforcement activity.
