The AAMC sent a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on July 1 requesting a delay of at least six months in the compliance date for the COVID-19 Health Care Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to give health care facilities more time to update their policies and procedures and make other changes to comply with the new standard.
The emergency temporary standard issued by OSHA earlier this month became effective on June 21 and applies to employers with workers in health care settings that treat COVID-19 patients [refer to Washington Highlights, June 25].
In its letter, the AAMC stated that it shares “OSHA’s commitment to protecting health care workers from COVID-19.” However, the AAMC explained that it is “concerned that it will take significant effort and divert resources for teaching hospitals to review this complex ETS, provide meaningful feedback to OSHA on provisions in the ETS, and make any necessary changes to comply, particularly given the resources they already are devoting to treating patients and protecting both patients and employees from the impact of COVID-19.”