COVID-19 Town Hall: Michigan’s Director of COVID-19 Workplace Safety on MIOSHA, MDHHS Guidance
November 25, 2020Sean Egan, Michigan’s director of COVID-19 Workplace Safety, joined the Chamber to discuss why it is imperative that employers implement COVID-19 mitigation strategies and promote remote work to alleviate potential outbreaks in the workplace, especially amid the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS) three-week pause to save lives. View his full presentation.
Offices continue to be a significant source of COVID-19 spread and outbreaks across the state. Outbreaks are defined by the MDHHS as two or more cases linked to an occurrence in the workplace. Egan shared the latest data; as of Nov. 12, 93 new workplace outbreaks had been reported. Of these, nine were in office settings, 28 in manufacturing or construction, 19 in retail, and 21 in restaurants in bars. It is important to note that this data only includes workplaces where the cases are highly likely to be among employees, and therefore doesn’t include places like schools, child care facilities, jails, nursing homes, and the like. In response to this increasing trend, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) issued emergency rules on Oct. 14. Egan advises that those rules are expected to be static for six months, and that businesses become familiar with them as foundational safety guidance and layer in MDHHS and other state regulations as they are updated. Jump to:- State Emphasis Program and Inspections
- Remote Work Policies
- Quarantine and Isolation
- MIOSHA Consultation Programs
- Slides: COVID-19 Workplace Safety Emergency Rules and State Emphasis Programs
State Emphasis Program and Inspections
Most recently, MIOSHA launched three State Emphasis Programs (SEP) focusing on offices, manufacturing, and construction. The SEPs entail proactive enforcement of MIOSHA rules through inspections conducted in response to complaints, as well as on a randomly selected basis. These inspections and increased enforcement are not intended as “gotcha” moments, advised Egan. A MIOSHA representative will announce their arrival and purpose, and work with management at the business conduct inspections.
- Preparedness and response plan
- COVID-19 coordinator (doesn’t have to be management)
- Daily health screenings
- Training
- Record keeping
- Remote work policy
Remote Work Policies
A remote work policy is of particular importance at this time as keeping as many individuals as feasible out of the office will greatly reduce the risk of COVID-19 being introduced into the workplace.
Quarantine and Isolation
There are rules in place now that you must physically isolate employees with known or suspected cases, noting suspected cases include close contacts. Close contacts include people that have come within six feet or less of someone with a confirmed case for 15 minutes or more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, a quarantine is needed when you’ve had a close contact, you’ve not had a test that’s confirmed, and you have no symptoms. The time frame for quarantine is 14 days from the date of the last close contact.
Isolation happens when someone develops symptoms, are confirmed with symptoms, or asymptomatic and confirmed. This entails a 10-day period from the time the symptoms first appeared or from when they were tested. They must have also gone 24 with no fever without the intervention of medication with improvement in other symptoms as some may linger for a while.
MIOSHA Consultation Programs
MIOSHA has a few consultation programs available to offer guidance to businesses. The Ambassador Program is a proactive consultation program where MIOSHA has people in the field that will stop into certain types of businesses – mostly gyms, restaurants, bars, retail, and spaces generally open to the public that don’t normally interact with MIOSHA. These businesses also have the option to request a visit and more guidance.
Find FAQs, fact sheets, and more resources at or call the MIOSHA hotline with questions at 855-SAFE-C19 (855-723-3219).
Related:
MIOSHA to Conduct Workplace Inspections to Ensure Safety Protocol Compliance in Office Settings
MIOSHA, NSF International Offering Free COVID-19 Safety Consultations for Businesses