Prepare a Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program Checklist
Author: Brightmine Editorial Team
When to Use
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA or the Division) established various requirements for all employers and places of employment aimed at protecting employees from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations, effective through February 3, 2025 (recordkeeping requirements are effective through February 3, 2026), replace the COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS).
Under the Non-Emergency Regulations, COVID-19 prevention procedures must either be maintained in a stand-alone document or be integrated into an existing Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).
The Non-Emergency Regulations apply to all employees and places of employment in California except the following:
- Work locations where there is only one employee who does not have contact with other people;
- Employees who are working from home;
- Employees who are teleworking from a location of the employee's choice, which is not under the employer's control; and
- Employees who are covered by the Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard.
According to FAQs published by Cal/OSHA, the regulations apply to workplaces with only one employee who has brief contact with others, but the safety measures that an employer must implement to comply will reflect this type of limited exposure. Further, for employees who split their work time between home and the workplace, the regulations apply only when employees work at the workplace, or are exposed at work, but not when they work from home. Finally, the regulations do not apply to employees an employer assigns to telework but who choose to work somewhere other than their home, such as at a hotel or rental property. Note that FAQs do not have the force of law, but they do provide employers with information on how the enforcement agency may interpret the regulations.
This checklist is based on the Non-Emergency Regulations. Although employers do not have to complete the following steps in sequential order to properly complete the checklist, certain steps should be done in order.
