Occupational safety and health regulations for a wide range of workers will be included in a fourth coronavirus response package House Democrats are now drafting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday.
Pelosi, a California Democrat, said emergency standards must be implemented to protect healthcare workers from the coronavirus. Those same standards, she said, must be expanded to include other frontline workers, including Transportation Security Administration agents who screen passengers at the airport, grocery store employees, and those who participate in the gig economy performing essential services.
“We need to help the helpers,” Pelosi said. “Rather than just thank them, we need to help them.”
Democrats are working on a new coronavirus response package with a variety of provisions. In addition to the worker safety language, Democrats envision infrastructure projects and additional direct cash payments to workers as well as help for pension plans. They also hope to expand food stamps and paid family leave.
The new safety standards will be based on a bill Democrats introduced March 10 that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an “Emergency Temporary Standard” for healthcare facilities to implement infectious disease exposure control plans to protect healthcare workers from the coronavirus.
The measure would require the workers receive adequate personal protective equipment, among other safety requirements.
Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat, said he was drafting the provision and has been “in touch” with Republicans on the panel.
“We intend to expand the scope of this legislation to require OSHA to protect others, including TSA workers, pharmacists, grocery store workers, first responders, and others,” Scott said.
“We are concerned self-employed workers, gig economy workers, are excluded from coverage under OSHA and have few legal protections from unsafe working conditions,” Scott said. “These workers are keeping our communities going right now and need to be protected.”
The legislation is necessary, Democrats said, because the safety guidelines issued for healthcare workers are not enforceable, and they have been left without necessary protective equipment in many cases. Hundreds of healthcare workers have become infected with the coronavirus, and several have died from it, Democrats said.
“Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers are desperately seeking these protections, and we must ensure they get the protections they deserve,” Scott said.
