Virginia Moves to Loosen COVID Workplace Safety Rules

Virginia is moving toward loosening its first-in-the-nation COVID-19 workplace safety rules, which were designed to prevent the spread of the virus but also were criticized by many businesses as too unwieldy.

A board that oversees the state’s workplace safety regulations voted last week to change those rules, giving businesses some leeway to avoid fines as long as they follow COVID-19 prevention recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rules, which initially were adopted in July 2020 and made permanent in January, required businesses to put in place multiple safety policies such as mask-wearing, sanitation of work areas and employee education about COVID-19 prevention.

Various business groups opposed the rules, which they argued imposed an inflexible, “one-size-fits-all” standard on businesses across the state, while some worker advocacy groups and labor unions said the rules helped protect essential workers from the risks of COVID-19 infection.

Technically, the rules remain in place, but under a 10-to-4 vote by Virginia’s Safety and Health Codes Board last week, businesses would be considered compliant with the state rules as long as they are making a “good faith” effort to comply with the CDC’s recommended guidelines for COVID-19 prevention.

The board’s vote to change the rules is now being considered by Gov. Ralph Northam’s office before it is made official, which could happen this month. The rules will be published before they become official. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sept. 6)