CHSWC Releases Safety Fact Sheet to Help School Employees Protect Themselves from COVID-19 at Work
OAKLAND - California’s Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) is pleased to release “How to be Protected from COVID-19 at Work: A Fact Sheet for School Employees,” a publication of the School Action for Safety and Health (SASH) program.
To address the ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19 and its variants in California, CHSWC’s SASH program produced this fact sheet to inform employees at schools and school districts about employee rights and protections under Cal/OSHA, as well as other statewide requirements for schools to protect their employees.
The COVID-19 fact sheet reviews the latest revision to California’s COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (January 14, 2022). The fact sheet explains that schools also must follow the K-12 School Guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and health orders from their local health department; state and county COVID-19 website links are also conveniently provided. Relevant details discussed include information about testing, ventilation, masking, cleaning and physical distancing.
The school employee COVID-19 protection publication was developed for CHSWC by the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) at the University of California, Berkeley and is available for download or printing on the CHSWC website. The California School Action for Safety and Health program is administered by CHSWC in the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) through an interagency agreement with the Labor Occupational Health Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
SASH was established to help schools statewide continually improve their injury and illness prevention practices. The program includes training and resources to enable schools or school districts to develop or improve Injury and Illness Prevention Programs (IIPPs) and to make other health and safety improvements that help protect school or school district employees from workplace injuries and illnesses. The target audience focuses on K-12 schools and school districts at high risk of occupational injury and illness.
CHSWC is charged with examining the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. The commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers' compensation system and of the state's activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational illnesses and to examine those programs in other states.
Information about CHSWC is available on the CHSWC website. Information may also be obtained by writing to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, 1515 Clay Street, 17th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612; by calling (510) 622-3959; or by email to chswc@dir.ca.gov. Please note that postal service may be subject to delays. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, CHSWC public meetings will be held online until further notice.