A new "advisory"工作场所安全指导from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is largely consistent with the COVID-19 protocols the construction industry has long had in place, safety specialists reviewing the document released Jan. 29 say.

咨询概述了建议的预防措施和政策，以保护工人免于接触Covid-19。该文件适用于建筑和所有其他行业，除了医疗保健和应急响应。这不是法规或强制性的安全标准，而是有组织的劳动力已经在寻求数月的时间。

Rather, the OSHA guidance states that its recommendations “are advisory in nature, informational in content and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.”

OSHA's formal safety standards are mandatory and enforceable.

拜登安全指令

The OSHA action is a response to President Joe Biden’sJan. 21 executive order on worker health and safety，该机构在两周之内指示该机构“在COVID-19大流行期间向雇主进行修订的有关工作场所安全的指导”。

可能会采取更多行动：Biden的行政命令还指示OSHA“考虑”是否需要冠状病毒的任何紧急临时工作场所标准。

拜登的指示要求OSHA在3月15日之前就此类标准作出回应。

Brian Turmail, an Associated General Contractors of America spokesman, said via email: “Our initial read is that the new guidance is consistent with many of the safety practices firms have already been using to successfully protect workers and local communities from the spread of the coronavirus.”

Turmail adds that the association will be checking with AGC member firms’ safety specialists to do a more detailed evaluation of the guidance “to confirm that it will, in fact, be effective in protecting workers.”

Greg Sizemore, Associated Builders and Contractors' vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, said via email that the group "is currently reviewing the new OSHA guidance from the lens of the construction industry."

Sizemore notes that OSHA has classified construction as low hazard regarding the pandemic and that the Dept. of Homeland Security has deemed the industry "essential critical infrastructure" since the pandemic began.

行业联盟2020计划

Sizemore adds that ABC "has taken countless actions to protect our member [firms'] employees because safety is a foundational pillar of who we are and what we have accomplished in our 70-year history."

Sizemore also points to aCOVID-19响应计划，建筑行业安全联盟于2020年3月发布。He says the plan "provides a comprehensive approach for minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the construction work environment."

他说，该计划涵盖了诸如保护性个人设备，面部覆盖物的使用以及如何应对病毒阳性或显示疾病症状的工人的主题。ABC，AGC和其他28个建筑业务小组是联盟的成员。

做's and Don'ts

The new OSHA guidance covers several main topics, with many specific “do and don’t” recommendations under each of them. The topics include conducting a hazard assessment and identifying controls to limit the virus spread.

此外，OSHA的指导呼吁采用处理员工缺勤的政策，以鼓励可能被感染的工人待在家里。OSHA指出，这些政策不应是“惩罚工人”的政策。

OSHA还建议对“引起与冠状病毒有关的问题”的工人进行保障措施。

其他建议包括将COVID-19的保护政策传达给会说英语的工人和不这样做的工人。

OSHA确实发布了更新construction industry-specific COVID-19 safety guidance2020年5月。