President Biden directed a federal workplace-safety regulator to require employers to develop coronavirus protocols and enforce compliance.
Mr. Biden asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a planned executive action Thursday to pursue an emergency temporary standard that would set Covid-19 workplace-safety requirements, as part of a series of executive orders this week.
“It is critical that the federal government protect the health and safety of America’s workers and take swift action to prevent workers from contracting COVID-19 in the workplace,” the Biden administration said a pandemic strategy document.
Labor and business groups expect OSHA to implement a rule quickly. The process for issuing an emergency standard isn’t as involved as the traditional federal rule-making process, in part because it lets government skip the usual public-comment period.
Many Democrats and worker advocates support developing a federal rule. Republicans and businesses worry that could become a burden for employers to implement.
