• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Work Zone Safety and MobilityTransportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

The Battle for an Emergency Temporary Standard to Address COVID-19

Abstract:

Over two million Americans have tested positive for coronavirus and more than 120,000 have died from COVID-19, and these numbers are growing daily. The debate over how to protect workers from COVID-19 centers around two competing approaches: standards and guidance. OSHA has issued numerous guidance documents explaining steps employers should take to protect workers from COVID-19. However, many public health and labor groups urged OSHA to go beyond guidance and issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS). Unlike an OSHA standard, an ETS would go into effect immediately. OSHA would then have to develop a more permanent standard within six months.

Source: Lifelines Online
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
Publisher: Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America
Publication Date: July 2020
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: News and Other Non-research Articles
Topics: COVID-19; Standards; Worker Safety

Copyright © 2025 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute