March 12, 2021
| MEMORANDUM FOR: | REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS STATE PLAN DESIGNEES |
| THROUGH | AMANDA EDENS Deputy Assistant Secretary |
| FROM: | PATRICK J. KAPUST, Acting Director Directorate of Enforcement Programs |
SUBJECT: Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
This Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides new instructions and guidance to Area Offices and Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for handling COVID-19-related complaints, referrals, and severe illness reports. On the date this memorandum is issued, the previous memorandum on this topic[1] will be rescinded, and this new Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan will go into and remain in effect until further notice. This guidance is intended to be time-limited to the current COVID-19 public health crisis. Please frequently check OSHA’s webpage at www.osha.gov/coronavirus for updates.
OSHA’s priority is to use its resources to eliminate and control workplace exposures to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the cause of COVID-19, and to provide OSHA enforcement personnel with the protections necessary to allow them to safely perform inspections. Most workplaces within the scope of OSHA’s authority have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some workplaces have maintained operations throughout the pandemic, while others have not. OSHA’s mission is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women.
OSHA’s enforcement of workplace safety and health requirements will reduce the risk of workplace transmissions of SARS-CoV-2. The agency’s updated Response Plan prioritizes enforcement and focuses on employers that are not making good faith efforts to protect workers.
The following summarizes OSHA’s updated strategy: