OSHA describes enforcement of statewide mask requirements

OSHA describes enforcement of statewide mask requirements

In most situations, businesses will be charged with making sure the mask mandate is followed — but OSHA will be the agency checking on employers.

Now having forty er.

Newswatch 12's adam schumes spoke with the public information officer with osha about how it will be enforced.

So what role will the oshi habit enforcing the mask policy?

Yeah, so what we have done is essentially interpreted the, uh, directives as laid out by the governor and the oregon health authority.

And so our expectation is that employers, uh, enforce, uh, the requirements to wear facial coverings.

Um, our jurisdiction is workplaces and workers.

Um, the guests and visitors, uh, folks who come into a public facing facility, like a grocery store, for example, um, you know, the potential, where is that they're a potential source of infection for the workers.

So that's where our authority lies.

And so our expectation again, is, is that employers enforce the requirements and that would include more than.

Uh, say just posting a sign, saying those other requirements.

Our expectation is that employers would engage, um, with, uh, guests and visitors, um, and a very polite way to remind them of the requirement.

Uh, for facial coverings, our businesses held responsible.

If customers refuse to wear masks, you know, so from our perspective, again, uh, the employer is responsible, uh, to make sure that folks coming in to the store, for example, um, uh, make sure that those requirements are fulfilled.

Um, you know, employers have quite a bit of control over their premises.

So, uh, the, uh, potential there is, or, um, someone who would not wear a facial covering and then.

Um, create, uh, a, a course of infection, um, and a, and a health problem for the folks who are working there.

Um, not to mention for other folks who were, um, at the establishment.

So again, our expectation is that employers would enforce this.

We've laid out some of best practices in the memo that we they've put out interpreting, um, the requirements.

And certainly we acknowledged that there are some tensions.

Involved in this.

Um, but again, um, we really do expect that, uh, that employers to follow, uh, the requirements as they've been spelled out, what kind of fines or penalties do places face if they violate the mass order?

There is no set violation for, um, an issue like this.

So it would depend on a number of factors, including the size of the employer.

Um, when you're talking about, um, you know, a, a serious violation, which this would be, uh, with this recognized hazard.

Um, but if dilation is not a repeat or it's not a willful, um, where essentially the businesses openly defying.

Um, the requirements, if it's not a situation like that, you're going to see smaller