OSHA Revised Guidance On COVID To Affect Recordable Cases BY MARY DRAIN The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published revised guid-
outcome. This is a change from the agency’s position in April 10 guidance, and it affects our industry. To meet OSHA recording obligations, the employ- er must first determine whether a “confirmed case of COVID-19” (see [2] of the revised guidance), is work-relat- ed ( … an event or exposure in the work environment, 29 CFR § 1904.5(b)(1).) In most instances, doing the following will satisfy the employer’s obligations: 1. Ask the employee(s) how they believe their COVID-19 illness was contracted; 2. While respecting employee privacy, discuss with them their work and out-of-work activities that may have led to the COVID-19 illness; and 3. Review the employee’s work environment for poten- tial SARS-CoV-2 exposure. A best practice FBA recommends when asked about regulations and reporting is to document your process and rationale so you can accurately recall the circumstanc-
ance for its occupational illness re- cordkeeping requirements. The new revised guidance is intended to be time-limited to the current COVID-19 public health crisis. The previous memorandum has been rescinded. Starting May 26, 2020, OSHA requires most employers with more
Mary Drain
than 10 employees to record work-related employee COVID-19 cases. Employers must record and report all employee-related COVID-19 illnesses regardless of the
es of your efforts. Employers will have to dig for information about the cause of an em- ployee’s viral infection while respecting the worker’s privacy. If the employee caught the coronavirus at work or while performing work-related activities, the employer must record the illness on the OSHA Form 300. Fibre Box Association (FBA) collects the OSHA Form 300A every year from plants participating in our annual Safety Awards and for the Occupational Injuries & Illnesses Report. The new guidelines may impact our current steady five-year trend of recordable cases. Frequently check OSHA’s webpage for updates, and share this news so your plants can be in compliance. OSHA can fine em- ployers for violating these workplace safety rules - but only after it conducts inspections and investigations. Mary Drain is the Director of Technical Ser- vices at FBA. E-mail mdrain@fibrebox.org . Shorr Packaging Appoints Onorato New President Aurora, Illinois based Shorr Packaging has appointed of Robert “Rob” Onorato as Pres- ident, effective June 22. Prior to joining Shorr Packaging, Onorato served as Chief Operating Officer for Cres- cent Electric in Dubuque, Iowa. Bringing years of experience and expertise, relative to B2B distribution organizations, Onorato has led successful business growth initia- tives through excellence in sales, strategy
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
6
www.boardconvertingnews.com
July 6, 2020
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online