Masks, Air Flow, Distance, and workers’ voice at the table are key to controlling the spread as new variant of concern emerges
NEW YORK – With COVID-19 case surges and new risks from the Omicron variant, worker organizations have teamed up with public health experts to make sure workplace safety measures include air ventilation and filtration — a key aspect of preventing the spread of infection that has largely been overlooked.
OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard requiring vaccines in private workplaces, if implemented, would be a strong step forward, but is not enough. It ignores some of the most effective tools to prevent the spread of airborne viruses and does not apply to all workplaces. The NY Essential Workers Coalition, representing hundreds of thousands of workers, continues to press for better DOL standards around air ventilation.
Key recommendations are laid out in a new guide called M.A.D.+ (Masks, Air and Distancing) policy guide for labor unions and worker centers to use in negotiations with employers over COVID-19 safety. The guide is a project of Last Mile, and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health(NYCOSH).
“We cannot overstate the need to prioritize indoor air quality to support human health,” said Dr. Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, an advisor to COVID Straight Talk Lab and founder of the Institute for Health in the Built Environment. “Enclosed and poorly ventilated spaces, including workplaces at which essential workers are obligated to spend long periods of time for the sake of their livelihoods, continue to present dangers of disease transmission.”
The newly published guide covers best practices around masking, air ventilation and social distancing, along with the need for worker voices to be included in safety and health planning. The publication includes sample demands for union contracts as well as federal and state legislation.
“The case surge in Europe and rapid spread of the Omicron variant are reminders that the state of the pandemic remains tenuous,” said NYCOSH Executive Director Charlene Obernauer, “and working people are still in need of comprehensive protections.”
NYCOSH is one of many organizations pressing New York Gov. Hochul and the Department of Labor to effectively enforce the NY HERO Act. As the first and only permanent Airborne Infectious Disease Standard in the country, New York has an opportunity to transform the way private companies respond to health and safety threats like COVID-19. The law also allows private sector workplaces to form worker-led healthy and safety committees to address Covid-19 and other hazards.
“We are entering the holiday season with Delta cases and hospitalizations rising once again, and a new Omicron variant that is raising serious concerns. We must ensure that labor unions and worker centers have the necessary tools to demand protections from their employers. The MAD+ guide is a vital contribution to our growing toolset for workers to fight this pandemic, complementing the NY HERO Act, a national model for protecting and empowering workers,” said Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN and key leader of the NY Essential Workers Coalition.
“The steps we take in these next few weeks can determine the shape of this pandemic,” said Tricia Wang, a member of COVID Straight Talk’s founding team. “Given the high transmissibility of the Omicron and Delta variants, policy focus has to be on systemic changes. We must not let debates about personal responsibility and culture wars over vaccines and masking overshadow the attention needed to implement larger fixes that will help us collectively fight this pandemic.”
COVID-Straight Talk Lab, which began in 2020, brings together scientists with labor unions and worker centers to fight for COVID-safe workplaces for all essential workers. COVID-Straight Talk Lab works in partnership with communities most directly impacted by the inequities of this pandemic, in particular organizations and coalitions led by Black, Latinx and Indigenous workers, such as the Always Essential table convened by Jobs with Justice and the Health and Safety Policy Working Group convened by National COSH. CST leverages the voice of scientific experts in support of the legislation being pushed for by essential workers to create more COVID-safe workplaces. The lab also provides support for labor unions and worker centers around the science of COVID-19 safety as they craft legislation and contracts that will protect the health and safety of essential workers.
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) is a membership organization of workers, unions, community-based organizations, workers’ rights activists, and health and safety professionals. Founded in 1979 on the principle that workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths are preventable, NYCOSH works to extend and defend every person’s right to a safe and healthy workplace. NYCOSH is a non-profit 501c3 organization.
