OSHA ends efforts to establish COVID-19 safety standard 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Jan. 13 announced that it terminated efforts to establish a final COVID-19 safety standard to protect workers in health care settings. The agency said it halted its efforts due to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, adding that any ongoing risk of COVID-19 faced by health care workers would be better addressed in an OSHA rulemaking effort that addresses infectious diseases more broadly. 

The AHA previously urged OSHA not to finalize the rule, saying it was unnecessary and would cause confusion.