Frequently Cited Standards Related to COVID-19 Inspections

November 23, 2020 Roberta Garthwait

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through early November, OSHA has issued citations arising from 204 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $2,856,533. Employers must be vigilant to meet all OSHA requirements. The following are examples, to date, of requirements that employers have most frequently failed to follow:

• Provide a medical evaluation before a worker is fit-tested or uses a respirator.
• Perform an appropriate fit test for workers using tight fitting respirators.
• Assess the workplace to determine if COVID-19 hazards are present, or likely to be present, which will require the use of a respirator and/or other personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Establish, implement, and update a written respiratory protection program with required worksite-specific procedures.
• Provide an appropriate respirator and/or other PPE to each employee when necessary to protect the health of the employees (ensuring the respirator and/or PPE used is the correct type and size).
• Train workers to safely use respirators and/or other PPE in the workplace, and retrain workers about changes in the workplace that might make previous training obsolete.
• Store respirators and other PPE properly in a way to protect them from damage, contamination, and, where applicable, deformation of the facepiece and exhalation valve.
• For any fatality that occurs within 30 days of a work-related incident, report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours of finding out about it.
• Keep required records of work-related fatalities, injuries, and illness.

For a summary of OSHA’s COVID-19-related enforcement efforts, visit: www.osha.gov/enforcement/covid-19-data.