Cal/OSHA releases updated COVID-19 ETS guidance

California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) has posted guidance on its COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) to reflect recent revisions adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The agency says the ETS revisions incorporate updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and make the ETS more flexible if changes are made to CDPH guidance in the future.

Revisions were made to the requirements for face coverings, respirators, cleaning and disinfecting, and testing and exclusion. The definitions of “close contact,” “infectious period,” and “COVID-19 test” were revised and the term “fully vaccinated” was deleted as it’s no longer used in the state’s ETS.

Cal/OSHA’s updated ETS standards are in effect through December 31, 2022, and apply to most workers in California not covered by the Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard.