Virginia Adopts Permanent COVID-19 Workplace Safety Standards

WDBJ-TV 7 (Jan. 27, Irby) reports that Virginia has enacted the country's first permanent COVID-19 workplace safety and health standards, which went into effect yesterday. Gov. Ralph Northam approved the new standards adopted by the state's Department of Labor and Industry's Safety and Health Codes Board. They mandate appropriate personal protective equipment, social distancing, sanitation, record keeping, infections disease preparedness and response plans, training, and hazard communications in workplaces. With no standards at the federal level, Virginia enacted temporary emergency workplace health and safety requirements last year in response to the health crisis. The permanent standards are similar to those temporary ones and will remain effective throughout the pandemic. "No Virginia worker should have to weigh their family's economic security against their physical safety," states Chief Workforce Development Advisor Megan Healy. "These permanent standards provide workers with essential recourse if faced with this untenable decision while giving businesses a clear understanding of the steps they must take to maintain a safe working environment." The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has been tasked with enforcing the permanent standard.