The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is holding an informal public hearing today regarding the proposed rule on occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Argentum president and CEO James Balda will be testifying during the afternoon session of the hearing starting at 1:00 pm ET, which will be livestreamed. Additional testimony will be heard in the following days.
The proposed final rule follows the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued last June that was largely withdrawn in December. OSHA began soliciting additional comments on the rule last month on alignment with the CDC’s recommendations, flexibility for employers, recordkeeping and reporting, and several other issues.
Argentum submitted public comments last week arguing that assisted living facilities should be exempt from the requirements given the limited healthcare services that are provided. We also raised concerns about the rule being duplicative with other guidance and not as flexible to change, and burdensome for operators especially given the continued workforce shortages. We had previously submitted comments on the ETS when it was originally issued (along with a joint comment letter with AHCA/NCAL, ASHA, and Leading Age).