Michigan Extends COVID-19 Emergency Workplace Safety Rules and Restrictions

As the push to vaccinate more Americans against COVID-19 continues and facilities focus on reopening, health and safety officials are pondering whether some parts of the country should close down as COVID-19 once again surges in nearly half of the U.S.

Michigan’s coronavirus cases have increased, and the state infections have become the country’s highest two-week case rate, East Oregonian reports. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director recommended that Michigan should “close things down” as they address the outbreak. In response, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for voluntary remote classes for high schools, for youth sports to pause, and for people to avoid eating out. However, many schools and businesses have remained open.

Last week Whitmer signed a certificate of need authorizing an extension until October 14 to Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Rules.

MIOSHA rules, which were issued during the fall of 2020, can be modified or withdrawn. The restrictions include a requirement that employers prohibit in-person office work if the job can be done remotely. Otherwise, employers like facility managers and cleaners at office buildings must take steps to avoid the spread of the virus.

“MIOSHA’s emergency rules help keep us all safe by ensuring that employers implement common sense safety standards to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace,” Whitmer said. “When employers maintain a safe workplace, that gives workers and consumers the confidence to keep our economy moving.”

Sean Egan, the state’s director of COVID-19 workplace safety, said that the rules will allow employers to have workers in the office. The regulations will require employers to have a written coronavirus preparedness and response plan, outline their infection control plan, conduct wellness screenings, and follow other practices depending on industry. Employers should still provide masks and require their workers to wear them, as well as establish safety requirements on facility capacity limits.

MIOSHA has received more than 12,000 complaints from employees and more than 605 referrals from local governments and health departments alleging COVID-19 hazards in the workplace, according to WJBK-TV. Since March 2020, employers reported more than 40 worker deaths from COVID-19, and the state has fined and cited about 200 employers for violations. To help employers keep their workers safe, the MIOSHA Ambassador Program has given more than 3,700 businesses free education on workplace safety and guided them in implementing policies to create a healthy environment.