NY Department of Labor published the model workplace airborne infectious exposure prevention standards, a general airborne infectious disease exposure prevention standard, and several template prevention plans for the following areas/industries: Agriculture, Construction, Delivery Services, Domestic Workers, Emergency Response, Food Services, Manufacturing and Industries, Personal Services, Private Education, Private Transportation, and Retail.
Exposure Prevention Plan During an Airborne Infectious Disease Outbreak
When a highly contagious communicable disease is designated by the Commissioner of Health as presenting a serious risk of harm to the public health, employers must:
- Immediately review their exposure prevention plans and update the plans, if necessary, to ensure that they incorporate current information, guidance, and mandatory requirements issued by federal, state, or local governments related to the infectious agent of concern;
- Finalize and promptly activate the worksite exposure prevention plan;
- Provide a verbal review of the employer’s safety policies, employees’ rights under the HERO Act, and the written exposure prevention plan (which can be conducted via audio or video conference technology);
- Provide each employee with a copy of the exposure prevention plan in English or in the language identified as the primary language of such employees, if the NYSDOL makes a translation available;
- Post a copy of the exposure prevention plan in a visible and prominent location at the worksite; and
- Ensure that a copy of the exposure prevention plan is accessible to employees during all work shifts.
While the airborne infectious disease designation remains in effect, the General Standard states that employers must ensure that their exposure prevention plans are effectively followed by:
- Assigning enforcement responsibilities and ensuring that adequate enforcement of the exposure prevention plan takes place;
- Monitoring and maintaining exposure controls (as defined below); and
- Regularly checking for updated information and guidance provided by the NYSDOH and the CDC concerning the airborne infectious disease and updating the exposure prevention plan, when necessary, so that the plan reflects current NYSDOH and CDC recommended control measures. (National Review)
The NYDOL guidance and model plans can be found here: https://dol.ny.gov/ny-hero-act
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Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR
Matthew Burr has over eleven years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was spent in manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and provides strategic HR services to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He is a retired Assistant Professor of Business Management from Elmira College, an Adjunct Professor at Alfred State University and Collin College. Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor at the college, his students currently have an 80% pass rate on the SHRM-SCP and 92.3% pass rate on the SHRM-CP. Matthew works as a trainer Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College and Penn State University. He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Fact-Finder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions.
Matthew has publications at the Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association, Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!).”
Matthew has an associate's degree in business administration from Tompkins Cortland Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Elmira College, a master's degree from the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations in Human Resources & Industrial Relations and a Master’s in Business Administration specializing in entrepreneurship from Syracuse University. He currently holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) and the Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certifications.
Matthew has been featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Magnify Money, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation.
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