Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced updates to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration's COVID-19 emergency rules in light of many returning to in-person work.
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“As we work to put Michigan back to work, we are moving quickly to invest in our families, small businesses, and communities to help them succeed,” Whitmer said. “The reason we can take these steps is thanks to every Michigander who has stepped up and taken action to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe. Together, we are eliminating this once-in-a-century virus, and now we are poised to jumpstart our economy and power it to new highs.”
As part of a bipartisan agreement announced by Whitmer, MIOSHA filed updated COVID-19 emergency rules [lnks.gd] in accordance with the MI Vacc to Normal plan and recent health guidelines and orders. Now that the state has reached the 55% vaccination threshold, MIOSHA has removed the requirement that employers must create a “policy prohibiting in-person work for employees to the extent that their work activities can feasibly be completed remotely.”
“As we work with the administration to get back to normal, protecting Michigan workers on the job remains the top priority for MIOSHA,” said Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity Acting Director Susan Corbin in a press release. "These updated emergency rules will give workers and businesses the clarity and confidence they need to bring our economy back to full-strength."
MIOSHA has updated other aspects of the emergency rules to reflect the recent order from MDHHS and guidance from the CDC. Those changes include:
- Employers may allow fully vaccinated employees to not wear face coverings and social distance provided they have a policy deemed effective to ensure non-vaccinated individuals continue to follow these requirements.
- The rules have been reformed focusing on performance, eliminating industry-specific requirements. Definitions have been updated to more clearly reflect changes in close contact and quarantining requirements for fully vaccinated employees.
- Cleaning requirements have been updated to reflect changes in CDC recommendations.
- Employers should continue to have and implement a written COVID-19 preparedness and response plan in accordance with the updated rules.
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