Virginia became the first state in the country to enact a permanent rule requiring employers to take steps to protect workers from Covid-19 infection on the job.
The Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board voted 9-4 (with one abstention) to approve the measure Wednesday, ensuring that protections for workers will continue when the state’s emergency temporary standard expires Jan. 26.
Virginia was the first U.S. state to enact a temporary Covid-19 emergency workplace rule last year, sparking a trend of states taking similar action in the absence of such a move by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The ...