The Biden administration missed its self-imposed deadline to issue temporary mask standards for workplaces as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration tries to determine whether an emergency order is needed to protect workers from the coronavirus, according to a report.
President Biden in an executive order on Jan. 21 directed the government "Consider whether any emergency temporary standards on COVID-19, including with respect to masks in the workplace, are necessary, and if such standards are determined to be necessary, issue them by March 15, 2021.".
Psaki, at Monday's White House briefing, said Biden signed the order "Because he wants to ensure that workers are, of course, safe. He's asked the American people to do their part to help quickly beat the virus, and he's directed OSHA to determine if any emergency - if an emergency temporary standard was necessary to protect workers from COVID.".
"OSHA has been working diligently, but we, of course, believe they should have the time to get it right and time to ensure it's right, and so we're waiting for them to make a conclusion," she told reporters about the standard that would last for six months.
Absent a standard from the federal government, many states have created their own standards.
Dr. David Michaels, a former assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, said an emergency temporary standard must be looked at from both sides - the need to protect workers and the cost for businesses.
"OSHA has to show that the precautions required by the standard are effective in preventing exposure while at the same time being economically and technically feasible for employers," Michaels, who worked on Biden's transition team, told CBS News.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/16/biden-admin-misses-its-deadline-to-issue-workplace-mask-standard/
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