What does OSHA require a facility to do to protect employees from COVID-19?

OSHA does not have a comprehensive regulation for COVID-19. It is noteworthy that:

• On July 1, 2025, OSHA proposed to withdraw 29 CFR 1910 Subpart U, COVID-19. Recall, that on June 21, 2021, OSHA issued a separate Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 for Healthcare. On December 27, 2021, OSHA withdrew non-recordkeeping portions of the Healthcare ETS.
• On April 21, 2025, OSHA withdrew (without announcement) its Infectious Diseases proposal from its agenda, and the Spring 2025 agenda shows the withdrawal. The proposed rulemaking had reached the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 8, 2024, but it was withdrawn from review on January 14, 2025. The rulemaking was intended to protect employees from infectious agents transmitted by contact, droplet, and airborne routes in biomedical labs and other settings where any employee provides healthcare services, handles contaminated materials, or handles human remains.
• On February 5, 2025, OSHA issued a memo stating that, until further notice, the agency will not cite employers for violations of 1910.502(q)(2)(ii) and (q)(3)(ii)-(iv), and (r). Note that OSHA will continue to enforce applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements under 29 CFR 1904.
• On January 14, 2025, OSHA withdrew from OMB a permanent COVID-19 for Healthcare final rule that it sent to that office on December 7, 2022, for review. On January 15, 2025, OSHA then terminated the rulemaking.
• On January 26, 2022, OSHA withdrew the ETS interim final rule for vaccination and testing. The rule had been published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2021.

Meanwhile, the agency continues to have the following existing regulations and laws that are related and may apply to your facility:

• 29 CFR 1904, Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illness.
• 29 CFR 1910.132, General Requirements - Personal Protective Equipment.
• 29 CFR 1910.133, Eye and Face Protection.
• 29 CFR 1910.134, Respiratory Protection.
• 29 CFR 1910.141, Sanitation.
• 29 CFR 1910.145, Specification for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags.
• 29 CFR 1910.1020, Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records.
• Section 5(a)(1), General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 (see 29 U.S.C. 654(a)(1)).

In addition, the agency has issued the guidance page, "Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace," dated August 13, 2021.

Also note that your state may be more stringent than federal OSHA. Check your state laws, regulations, and workplace safety agency websites to learn more. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for general guidance and best practices.