PRIME Act

The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 (H.R. 6559) would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard that establishes a legal obligation for all workplaces to implement comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plans to keep workers safe during the coronavirus pandemic

The Bill was sponsored by Representative Bobby Scott and has gained 72 cosponsors has been referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The House cosponsors of H.R. 6559 are HERE

MORE INFORMATION

The COVID–19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020:

  • Requires OSHA to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard within seven days that covers all workers and requires all workplaces to implement infectious disease exposure control plans to keep workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • OSHA would be required to issue a permanent comprehensive infectious disease standard within two years.

  • Requires OSHA to forbid employers from retaliating against workers for reporting infection control problems to their employer, any public authority, to the media or on a social media platform.

    • The standard would also forbid employers from retaliating against workers for using their own higher level personal protective equipment if the employer does not provide it.

  • Protects public employees across the country by requiring the 24 states where public employees are not currently covered by OSHA to adopt the ETS within 14 days of enactment

  • Gives OSHA the discretion not to issue citations to hospitals and other covered employers due to shortages of equipment, if:

    • The employer can show that they are making a good-faith effort to purchase personal protective equipment and come into compliance, and o The employer is implementing alternative methods to protect its employees.

  • Requires CDC and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to track and investigate work related COVID-19 infections and make recommendations on needed actions or guidance to protect such employees.