Professor James Brudney shared his expert opinion with Law360 on the latest safety tips from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and what they mean for workplace safety.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is issuing more safety tips for workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic instead of imposing new legal obligations on employers, a move that has raised questions about whether the agency is doing enough to protect workers.
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“At a time when governors are issuing shelter-in-place orders and requiring consumers to wear masks in retail spaces, OSHA is offering guidance ‘tips’ for manufacturing and package delivery companies. The nation’s primary workplace safety and health agency must do better, and now,” said Jim Brudney, a Fordham Law School professor who previously served as chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor.
“Before we can get the economy started again, we need more from OSHA than classifying health care facilities as high risk,” he said in an email. “There should be mandated federal protections for workers at Smithfield Foods, Whole Foods, and the rest of our food-producing, manufacturing, and retail facilities.”
