Virginia has promulgated an Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 that applies to all employers performing work in the commonwealth. The rule took effect July 27, and employers are required to train workers under these requirements by Aug. 26 and have a response plan by Sept. 25.

The Construction Industry Safety Coalition, of which ABC is a member, is putting together Virginia-specific toolkits for use by member companies in the next few days. CISC submitted comments on the proposed standard, arguing that the risk in the construction industry did not support such a broad standard. Unfortunately, the Safety and Health Codes Board rejected almost all the comments submitted, and the final rule is virtually unchanged from the proposal.  More information on this standard and compliance assistance materials can be found on the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry website.