Oregon nurses union upset federal OSHA allowed COVID-19 safety rules to expire

TUALATIN, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The news that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has failed to adopt a permanent standard to protect health care workers during COVID-19 is extremely disappointing, the Oregon Nurses Association said Thursday.

Here's the full news release from the nurses' union:

OSHA's health care emergency temporary standard (ETS)--which OSHA recently allowed to expire--was designed to protect frontline health care workers who faced extreme COVID-19 risks in hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other health care facilities. The ETS provided essential safety rules for workers and employers, including regulations around infection prevention protocols, exposure notifications, disease education, personal protective equipment (PPE) standards, and support for health care workers who contract COVID-19 at work.

Health care workers--and in particular frontline nurses--are experiencing unprecedented levels of physical and mental fatigue. They do not feel valued, protected or supported by their employers. In fact, frontline nurses are leaving the profession at a rate that has never been seen before. OSHA's failure to extend COVID-19 safety protections will only exacerbate our country's nurse staffing crisis.

Health care workers in Oregon are fortunate to have a state COVID-19 safety standard through Oregon OSHA which holds companies accountable to several common sense precautions. Oregon nurses believe every health care worker in the nation deserves these same permanent safety protections.

Unfortunately, Oregon OSHA's safety standard fails to provide paid time off when frontline health care workers contract COVID-19 at work. Nurses across the state are being denied benefits by hospitals and health care companies who claim COVID-19 infection did not occur in the workplace. These blanket denials place an impossible burden of proof on frontline caregivers and ignore the risks of ongoing patient exposures. The federal ETS remedied this problem and offered additional protections to frontline health care workers who have faithfully served our communities during this pandemic. It is abundantly clear that companies will not do the right thing unless compelled to. Federal OSHA's failure to extend safety measures gives health care corporations permission to continue devaluing nurses and other caregivers. 

Nearly two years into this pandemic health care workers are still without any federal law, rule, or standard that protects them from economic harm if they become infected with COVID-19. Considering OSHA’s failure to support and protect healthcare workers, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is calling on the Governor, Oregon OSHA and health care companies to honor frontline health care workers' commitment by unconditionally providing sick leave and other medical removal benefits to frontline workers when they contract COVID-19.

“We can't allow safety standards to disappear while COVID-19 cases skyrocket. Frontline health care workers who contract COVID-19 while caring for sick patients deserve companies' full protection and support," said ONA spokesperson Kevin Mealy. "Every Oregonian needs permanent job protections that are responsive to the crises we're facing.”

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The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents 15,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. Our mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org.