AGC Meets with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Raise Concerns with the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)

On April 30, AGC and its coalition partners met with staff from OMB to raise concerns about the potential ETS and question the need for such a standard 14 months into the pandemic. During the meeting, industry stakeholders highlighted the conflicting messages being delivered by the administration. The president continues to highlight the significant decline in case rates, hospitalizations, and great progress in putting an end to the pandemic through vaccination efforts. However, OSHA remains determined to issue an ETS to address the “grave danger” posed to workers, which is at odds with the current state of the pandemic and the successful efforts the construction industry put forth to minimize the risk of exposure on construction jobsites from the outset of the pandemic. A key point raised was the relatively low risk of exposure faced by construction workers and the need to regulate accordingly. Industry stakeholders also stressed the importance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and OSHA aligning their respective protocols, if an ETS is to be published, given the recent guidance issued by CDC regarding fully vaccinated individuals that has generated confusion among employers and employees. AGC will continue to monitor developments regarding the ETS and provide updates accordingly.

For more information, please contact Kevin Cannon at (703) 837-5410 or kevin.cannon@agc.org or Nazia Shah at (703) 837-5409 or nazia.shah@agc.org.