Grappling with the economic fallout surrounding COVID-19 has been challenging enough for businesses, but how can they ensure they’re in compliance with the latest state and local coronavirus-related guidelines?
Enter saferatwork.covid19.ca.gov.
The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency created the online portal as a road map for businesses looking to navigate the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19 safety regulations. The website debuted last week.
A one-stop shop
Daniel Yu, the agency’s associate secretary of strategic enforcement and partnership, said the portal was designed as a one-stop-shop where employers can access information that ordinarily would have to be pulled from several different sources.
“We understand that there may be anxiety to this with people wondering, ‘Have I gone to all the state and local sources?’ ” he said. “This is an easy-to-use website where employers — especially smaller businesses that may not have an HR department — can retrieve that information all in one place.”
A wealth of information
Business owners or employees who use the portal can access a variety of options, including training and resources, COVID-19 testing, Cal/OSHA’s temporary emergency standards and additional information via the Outreach Toolkit.
Employers are initially asked which county their business is in and what industry it represents. Companies with multiple operations can select up to six professional activities.
A manufacturing business in Orange County, for example, will first be asked if it has created a site-specific COVID-19 prevention plan and if it has trained workers on how to limit the spread of the virus.
Additional questions address social distancing guidelines and whether the business is providing supplemental paid sick leave under California laws and/or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Once all of the questions are answered, the employer can download a COVID-19 guidance manual that lays out exactly what the business should be doing to be in compliance with state and local regulations.
The guidance addresses such concerns as risk assessment, training, disinfecting protocols, physical distancing guidelines, employee benefits and how to safely reopen following a COVID-19 case.
“It also has a feature where employers can leave feedback,” Yu said. “They can comment on what we’ve provided and also suggest features they would like us to include. We are committed to improving the portal.”
Privacy is protected
The portal doesn’t ask for a business name or any other personal information and the data it collects is for educational purposes and will not be used for state enforcement activities, Yu said.
Tom Barry, a managing partner with the Los Angeles-based accounting and advisory firm GHJ, said some workplace shifts, including remote working, will remain long after COVID-19 is no longer a threat. GHJ helps employers navigate changes associated with COVID-19 safeguards.
“We’re never going back to where we were and we won’t stay where we are today,” Barry said. “It’s confusing trying to keep up with the rules. There are as many attitudes on how to react to all of this as there are businesses.”
GHJ has 165 employees and all of them now work remotely, either full-time or part-time, Barry said.
“On a busy day we might have two dozen people in our office,” he said. “Employees who come to the office have to fill out a health questionnaire and they also have their temperature taken.”
Workers must document when they arrive and leave, Barry said, and the company also keeps tabs on who uses the conference room and when it was used.
“That’s so we can do contact tracing,” he said.
