California Issues Respirator Substitute Guide in Virus Shortage

California health-care providers now have guidance from the state’s worker safety agency on how to comply with state mandates to protect employees from the novel coronavirus while dealing with N95 respirator shortages.

The new guidance acknowledges employers may have to give workers fewer protective surgical masks when there aren’t enough respirators. “Surgical masks can only be used for lower hazard tasks involving patient contact,” California Division of Occupational Safety and Health said.

Cal/OSHA released the guidance Monday. The state’s worker safety program is unique because unlike federal OSHA and other states, a Cal/OSHA standard requires health-care providers to have procedures ...