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OSHA National News Release

US Department of Labor

January 29, 2021

New OSHA guidance seeks to mitigate, prevent viral spread in the workplace.

Washington, DC – The US Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and better identify risks that could lead to exposure and contraction. Last week, President Biden directed OSHA to release clear guidance for employers to help keep workers safe from COVID-19 exposure.

“Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace” provides updated guidance and recommendations and outlines existing safety and health standards. OSHA is providing the recommendations to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.

“More than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and millions of people are out of work as a result of this crisis. Employers and workers can help our nation fight and overcome this deadly pandemic by committing themselves to making their workplaces as safe as possible,” said Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Labor M. Patricia Smith. “The recommendations in OSHA’s updated guidance will help us defeat the virus, strengthen our economy, and bring an end to the staggering human and economic toll that the coronavirus has taken on our nation.”

Implementing a coronavirus prevention program is the most effective way to reduce the spread of the virus. The guidance announced today recommends several essential elements in a prevention program:

  • Conduct a hazard assessment;
  • Identify control measures to limit the spread of the virus;
  • Adopt policies for employee absences that don’t punish workers as a way to encourage potentially infected workers to remain home;
  • Ensure that coronavirus policies and procedures are communicated to both English and non-English speaking workers; and
  • Implement protections from retaliation for workers who raise coronavirus-related concerns.

“OSHA is updating its guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus and improve worker protections so businesses can operate safely and employees can stay safe and working,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick.

The guidance details key measures for limiting coronavirus’s spread, including ensuring that infected or potentially infected people are not in the workplace, implementing and following physical distancing protocols, and using surgical masks or cloth face coverings. It also provides guidance on the use of personal protective equipment, improving ventilation, good hygiene, and routine cleaning.

OSHA will update today’s guidance as developments in science, best practices, and standards warrant.

This guidance is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains recommendations as well as descriptions of existing mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in recognizing and abating hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm as part of their obligation to provide a safe and healthful workplace.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education, and assistance. Learn more about OSHA here.

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Media Contacts:

Jesse Lawder, 202-693-2840

Denisha Braxton, 202-693-5061

Release Number: 21-143-NAT

US Department of Labor news materials are accessible here. The department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202)-693-7828 (voice) or (800)-877-8339 (federal relay).

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced an amendment to the Public Readiness and Preparedness Act (PREP), which will allow for those providers whose license has expired within the last five years or who have recently retired to prescribe, dispense, and administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Retired providers or those whose license has expired within the last five years will be required to complete a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-administered COVID-19 vaccine training and will be required to undergo an on-site vaccination supervision period by a currently practicing provider. HHS is hopeful that this expansion of the health-care workforce who can administer the vaccines will assist in ramping up vaccination efforts once vaccine supply is more widely available.

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Photo by Alena Shekhovtcova from Pexels

The Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Human Services would like to share resources that provide COVID-19 vaccine information for individuals who have limited or no Internet access. The following services are available to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, including how to locate a health-care provider by phone:

  • If an individual does not have a direct support professional (DSP) who can provide them with the appropriate COVID-19 vaccine and health-care provider information, they can call the PA Health Hotline at 1-877-724-3258.
  • Persevere PA is a COVID-19 crisis hotline designed to link callers with counselors who can assist with the mental health impacts of COVID-19. They can also assist a caller in finding a health-care provider to administer the vaccine when their corresponding phase arrives. Resources in both English and Spanish are attached with more information. Call Persevere PA at 1-855-284-2494.
  • When arranging for an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing to receive information via telephone, PA Relay Services are available by dialing 711.

Please share this information with those who may require information by telephone.

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Transgender people face disproportionate levels of violence. First responders must be prepared to provide trauma-informed care to transgender victims. This workshop is designed as an interactive opportunity to discuss and better understand transgender and nonbinary gender identities. Participants will learn about language and vocabulary, interpersonal etiquette, and some of the unique ways that people from these communities experience violence and sexual violence. The information and activities will introduce (or review) some basics as well as more deeply engage with matters concerning trans and nonbinary folks.

This workshop will take place on Monday, March 1, 2021 from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. Visit TRAIN PA to register.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Health Equity newsletter provides updates from the COVID-19 Health Equity Response Team.

Their focus remains on testing, vaccine communication, and continued promotion of mitigation strategies. The next meeting will be held on February 4, 2021 at 10:00 am.

For more information, visit the Office of Health Equity’s website.

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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is positioned to advocate for federal relief funds to assist the behavioral health system in Pennsylvania throughout the public health emergency (PHE). We know that people are struggling and that the need for services will continue to grow; there are daily reports in the national news of increased suicides, increased calls to crisis services, and increased deaths by overdose.

OMHSAS is asking for valuable information to support their allocation requests. Please provide specific, measurable data to help support the need for dollars to aid the behavioral health system. A sample of metrics can be found in this OMHSAS correspondence.

This information will be most helpful if each data point is related to a certain service or population. OMHSAS is not currently looking to gather anecdotal information.

The turnaround time is very quick as responses are due on Friday, February 5, 2021. These responses should be sent via email to this contact.

If your RCPA policy director can be of assistance, please contact them directly.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 1, 2021 

Harrisburg, PA — Pennsylvania collected $2.7 billion in General Fund revenue in January, which was $162.4 million, or 5.8 percent, less than anticipated, Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell reported today. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $21.2 billion, which is $307.4 million, or 1.5 percent, above estimate.

Sales tax receipts totaled $1.1 billion for January, which is $9.9 million above estimate. Year-to-date sales tax collections total $7.5 billion, which is $64.3 million, or 0.9 percent, more than anticipated.

Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in January was $1.1 billion, which is $271.9 million below estimate. This brings year-to-date PIT collections to $8.5 billion, which is $235.9 million, or 2.7 percent, below estimate.

The January corporation tax revenue of $186.3 million was $61.3 million above estimate. Year-to-date corporation tax collections total $2.4 billion, which is $371.7 million, or 18.7 percent, above estimate.

Inheritance tax revenue for the month was $101.6 million, which is $14.8 million above estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $706.6 million, which is $29.1 million, or 4.3 percent, above estimate.

Realty transfer tax revenue was $54.4 million for January, which is $15.5 million above estimate. This brings the fiscal-year total to $371.3 million, which is $34.7 million, or 10.3 percent, more than anticipated.

Other General Fund tax revenue, including cigarette, malt beverage, liquor, and gaming taxes, totaled $112.5 million for the month, which is $0.6 million below estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $1.1 billion, which is $19.5 million, or 1.8 percent, above estimate.

Non-tax revenue totaled $26.3 million for the month, which is $8.8 million above estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $691.6 million, which is $24.1 million, or 3.6 percent, above estimate.

In addition to the General Fund collections, the Motor License Fund received $197.2 million for the month, which is $10.5 million below estimate. Fiscal year-to-date collections for the fund — which include the commonly known gas and diesel taxes as well as other license, fine, and fee revenues — total $1.6 billion, which is $16.3 million, or 1.0 percent, below estimate.

Media Contact: Jeffrey Johnson

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

ODEP Twentieth Anniversary

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2021. Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, posted a blog entitled ODEP at 20: Driving Change and Creating Opportunity. The blog discusses ODEP’s origin and the importance of the evidence-based data that supports its work to promote disability employment. “Data allows us to measure progress made and opportunity to come, and in the case of disability employment, it helps drive change toward a more inclusive workforce – the crux of our mission at ODEP since day one,” said Sheehy. “From evidence-based data to policy to employment supports, we have been driving change and creating opportunity for 20 years.”

Zero Project Awards

The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) and the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) received the 2021 Zero Project Award in the employment category’s innovative policies. This international award is given to organizations for their pioneering practices and policies that support the rights and lives of persons with disabilities. PEAT was honored for its role in fostering collaborations that make emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence; extended reality; and autonomous vehicles, accessible to people with disabilities. SEED was recognized for promoting state and local policies and practices through cooperative relationships with legislative and administrative bodies, leading to increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

MyJAN

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) launched the MyJAN portal on its website. The MyJAN tool allows website users to save and organize resources in one location, including accommodation solutions by disability, information by topic area, JAN newsletter articles, and more. Users can create a free MyJAN account and add links to JAN webpages, file them by category, include notes about the resources, and set the list and grid view order. Resources can be added, organized, and deleted at any time. In addition to these features, the site displays recommended and newly released JAN resources in a “Recommended Resources” tab in the portal.

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