May 28 2020 the House’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, “Examining the Federal Government’s Actions to Protect Workers from COVID-19.”

OSHA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt testified, reinforcing the agency’s goal of issuing guidance documents that are flexible and based on existing standards. Democratic members of the subcommittee were critical of OSHA’s reliance on voluntary standards rather than those that are enforceable by law.

Democrats are advancing several proposals that would require OSHA to issue an enforceable standard to require that employers protect workers from exposure to COVID-19. Theses proposals may be considered in the context of a future COVID-19 relief package.