The AAMC sent a letter on April 5 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) asking the agency to extend the deadline for comments on the reopening of the Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) “Occupational Exposure to COVID-19” by at least 30 days, through May 23.
“AAMC member teaching hospitals and their associated faculty physicians remain the frontline response to the COVID-19 public health emergency [PHE]. However, challenges still linger as hospitals try to return to providing pre-pandemic levels of service,” the letter stated. “Providing additional time for review will allow our members to thoughtfully reflect on the COVID-19 PHE impact on their health care systems since the submission of initial comments to the ETS interim final rule and offer updated approaches that ensure the safety of health care employees, the patients they care for, and the visitors to health care settings.”
The AAMC previously submitted comments to OSHA’s interim final rule to establish an ETS for occupational exposure to COVID-19 [refer to Washington Highlights, Aug. 6, 2021].