1910.502 COVID-19 - Healthcare
OSHA has determined that employee exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, presents a grave danger to workers in healthcare settings where people with COVID-19 are reasonably expected to be present and has issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to address the hazard.
COVID-19
One of the key requirements of the ETS is the COVID-19 Plan. We'll be discussing the various elements of the COVID-19 Plan and ETS thoughout the next two modules.
The rules in OSHA 1910.502, Healthcare, help protect health care workers when treating suspected or confirmed coronavirus patients. This includes employees working in:
- hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities;
- emergency responders;
- home health care workers; and
- employees in ambulatory care settings.
(a) Scope and Application
This section applies to all settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services.
- the provision of first aid by an employee who is not a licensed health care provider;
- the dispensing of prescriptions by pharmacists in retail settings;
- non-hospital ambulatory care settings where all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings;
- well-defined hospital ambulatory care settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings;
- home healthcare settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not present;
- healthcare support services not performed in a healthcare setting (e.g., off-site laundry, off-site medical billing); or
- telehealth services performed outside of a setting where direct patient care occurs.
Note: OSHA does not intend to preclude the employers of employees who are unable to be vaccinated from the exemption. Under various anti-discrimination laws, workers who cannot be vaccinated because of medical conditions, such as allergies to vaccine ingredients, or certain religious beliefs may ask for a reasonable accommodation from their employer. Where an employer reasonably accommodates an employee who is unable to be vaccinated in a manner that does not expose the employee to COVID-19 hazards (e.g., telework, working in isolation), that employer may be within the scope exemption in paragraphs (4) and (5) above.
Where a healthcare setting is embedded within a non-healthcare setting (e.g., medical clinic in a manufacturing facility, walk-in clinic in a retail setting), this section applies only to the embedded healthcare setting and not to the remainder of the physical location.
Where emergency responders or other licensed healthcare providers enter a non-healthcare setting to provide healthcare services, this section applies only to the provision of the healthcare services by that employee.
PPE, physical distancing, and physical barrier requirements do not apply to employees who are fully vaccinated and in well-defined areas where there is no reasonable expectation that any person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will be present.
Nothing in this section is intended to limit state or local government mandates or guidance (e.g., executive order, health department order) that go beyond the requirements of and are not inconsistent with this section.
You are encouraged to follow public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) even when not required by this section.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-1. What is the primary aim of OSHA's healthcare emergency temporary standard?
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