Salem Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on July 25
Commissioner C. Ray Davenport announced today that the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program has published the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for Infectious Disease Prevention: SARSCoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19, 16VAC25-220. The ETS was published in the Richmond Times Dispatch on July 27, 2020 and became effective immediately. Other effective dates: With the exception of 16VAC25-220-80.B.10 regarding training required on infectious disease preparedness and response plans, the training requirements in 16VAC25-220-80 take effect on August 26, 2020.
The training requirements under 16VAC25- 220-80.B.10 take effect on September 25, 2020. The requirements for 16VAC25-220-70 regarding the preparation of infectious disease preparedness and response plans take effect on September 25, 2020. Outreach, education and training materials for the ETS can be found at: https://www.doli.virginia.gov/covid-19-outreach-education-and-training/ Other COVID-19 resources can be found at: https://www.doli.virginia.gov/vosh-programs/coronavirus-covid-19-resources/
On July 15, 2020, the Virginia Safety and Health Code Board adopted the ETS to take effect immediately upon publication because the Board determined that SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 related hazard and job task employee exposures constitute a grave danger to Page 2 of 3 employees in Virginia that necessitate the adoption of an emergency temporary standard to protect Virginia employees from the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19. The ETS is designed to establish requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to and among employees and employers. The ETS applies to all employees and employers under the jurisdiction of the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program. The ETS will expire within six months of its effective date, upon expiration of the Governor’s State of Emergency, or when superseded by a permanent standard, whichever occurs first, or when repealed by the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board. Publication of the ETS also constitutes notice that the Board intends to adopt a permanent standard within a period of six months.
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry offers On-Site Consultation Services to help private and state and local government employers better understand and voluntarily comply with VOSH standards. Priority is given to high hazard workplaces with 250 or fewer employees and all services are offered to employers at no cost. On-Site Consultation Services helps employers identify and correct potential safety and health hazards through walk-through surveys (without citations or penalties), provide abatement advice, provide on-site training, and provide program assistance to develop safety and health programs. Additional information about On-Site Consultation Services can be obtained by contacting the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry office closest to you at www.doli.virginia.gov or by contacting Tracy Fitzpatrick, Consultation Program Manager at (804) 786-8707 or Tracy.fitzpatrick@doli.virginia.gov.
Virginia Voluntary Protection Programs (VVPP) operates Virginia STAR; and Virginia BEST (Building Excellence in Safety, Health and Training), which is a strategic partnership between the DOLI and the Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGCVA) that recognizes AGCVA members who voluntarily implement highly effective safety and health management systems to benefit construction workers and reduce or eliminate injuries, illnesses and fatalities on construction sites in Virginia. Virginia CHALLENGE is a three stage process that dramatically improves safety and health at the worksite and prepares the company to apply for Virginia STAR recognition.
The VOSH–VADOC CHALLENGE is a strategic partnership between the DOLI and Page 3 of 3 the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) to recognize safety and health excellence at correctional facilities around the Commonwealth. Three stages of participation in VADOC Challenge prepare a site to apply for Virginia STAR recognition. Virginia has the only two correctional facilities in the nation to have received VPP STAR status, Augusta and Lunenburg Correctional Centers.
Additional information can be obtained by contacting the DOLI office closest to you at www.doli.virginia.gov or contact Milford Stern, VPP Manager, at (540) 562-3580, ext. 123, or Milford.Stern@doli.virginia.gov. The Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) program is financed with 50% state funds and 50% federal funds in the form of a grant from the U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), under §23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The Virginia State Plan, at the time of initial publication of this document on April 2, 2020, is funded by a grant of $3,921,300 federal funds, which constitutes 48% of the State Plan budget. Zero percent, or $0.00 of the State Plan budget, is financed through nongovernmental sources.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Salem Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce
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