Construction Group Praises Decision to Exclude Construction From the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard

WASHINGTON (June 10, 2021) — The Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC) released the following statement on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) decision to apply an Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 only to the healthcare industry.  

“The Construction Industry Safety Coalition is pleased that the Biden administration and OSHA listened to the concerns and recommendations of the construction industry in formulating a COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard. OSHA made the right decision to issue an ETS to cover tasks associated with high-exposure risk levels and not construction operations, which are generally low risk.

“Workplace safety and health are top priorities for members of CISC. At the outset of the pandemic, the coalition developed an industry-wide COVID-19 Exposure Prevention Preparedness and Response Plan to provide a comprehensive approach to keeping construction workers, deemed to be essential, safe.

“We look forward to continuing to provide input on industry safety issues and working with the administration on other workplace safety and health priorities.”

See the new rules at osha.gov.