Most Employers Won’t Have to Track Worker Virus Infections

Federal workplace safety regulators stepped back from requiring most employers to determine whether workers were stricken with the coronavirus while on the job.

Now, in most circumstances, only employers in the health-care industry, emergency response organizations such as police and fire departments, and correctional institutions will have to make the determination, according to new Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance released Friday.

Construction contractors, manufacturers, and other employers won’t have to make the determination unless there’s “objective evidence that a Covid-19 case may be work-related” and “the evidence was reasonably available to the employer.”

The guidance said objective evidence could ...