Cal-OSHA Standards Board Adopts Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) Revisions
Last Friday, June 17, Governor Newsom signed the Cal-OSHA Safety and Health Standards Board’s revisions to its Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) into immediate effect (Executive Order linked here), thereby more closely aligning Cal-OSHA COVID-19 face covering and physical distancing standards with the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) and Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) recommendations. Although Governor Newsom had lifted many of California’s COVID-19 restrictions on June 15, 2021, it remained unclear what workplace standards should look like under Cal-OSHA. As we previously wrote, for example, an initial set of ETS proposed revisions advocated for stringent workplace mask requirements, however these proposals were pulled before an official vote.
The key takeaways of the new rules are: