The final days of December 2021 saw a flurry of action on the COVID-19 front. On December 16, 2021 the Cal/OSHA Standards Board adopted its third version of the Cal/OSHA ETS. On December 20, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) published updated isolation and quarantine guidance, but with the upsurge in Omicron cases, updated its update by publishing additional guidelines on January 6, 2022. In the meantime, the newly adopted Cal/OSHA ETS was found to contradict the CDPH causing so much confusion with employers that Cal/OSHA was forced to address the issue by publishing its own updated fact sheet entitled “COVID-19 ETS What Employers Need to Know About the December 16 Standards.” Whew! 

What does it all mean for employers?  

Conflicts between the Cal/OSHA ETS and the newly updated CDPH guidelines has been resolved. Cal/OSHA’s newly published fact sheet confirms that its recommended quarantine and isolation dates have been revised consistent with current CDPH guidelines. Cal/OSHA also makes clear that their recommended timeframes will automatically update if/when CDPH updates their guidelines.