In a Monday, August 16th release, OSHA issued updated guidelines to protect workers from COVID based on the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OSHA suggests: -
- Fully vaccinated workers in areas involving close contact with potentially infected coworkers or family members must wear masks for 14 days unless they have received a negative coronavirus test three to five days after a contact.
- Fully vaccinated workers in areas with high community prevalence must wear masks to protect unvaccinated coworkers.
- Specific recommendations are provided to protect unvaccinated workers in meat and poultry processing plants and other agricultural enterprises.
- Recommendations were provided for K-12 schools and for transport
The release included the statement, “OSHA continues to emphasize that vaccination is the optimal step to protect workers and encourages employers to engage with workers and their representatives to implement multi-layered approaches to protect unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk workers from the Coronavirus”. The latest release makes reference to 
guidance issued on July 27th corresponding to rules introduced by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service for their personnel and employees.
It is self-evident that neglecting to follow guidelines issued by a federal agency exposes employers to the possibility of citations in addition to increased liability in the event of civil litigation.