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OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard

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On June 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for healthcare employers to keep employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kettering Health has been proactively addressing our safety protocols since the beginning of the pandemic and, at this time, we are working to finalize a written COVID-19 plan and COVID-19 hazard assessment as required by the ETS. We will notify you when those documents are complete and provide you with a link to our plan.   

In the meantime, we are asking our Infection Prevention, Nursing, and Facilities leaders to again do walk-arounds of all facilities to ensure that social distancing can be facilitated in our work spaces, including nurses stations, break rooms, and physician lounges. As for employees in our patient care settings, please note the following: 

  • Policies around the use of masks are not changing at this time and other safety protocols remain in place as well, such as frequent hand washing, daily self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms, notifying Employee Health if you are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms, and staying home if you are sick. 
  • If you have received the COVID-19 vaccine outside of Kettering Health, please notify Employee Health.  And, as required by the ETS, going forward, you are entitled to reasonable paid time off if you need to miss work to get vaccinated or suffer vaccine side effects.  Additionally, if you are removed from the workplace because you have COVID-19, have COVID-19 symptoms, or are required to quarantine, you are entitled to medical protection benefits, which include utilizing paid time off, as required by the ETS. 
July 9, 2021
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