This article supplements our earlier article about the April 15, 2020 worker safety order issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).  The order requires essential businesses in operation in Pennsylvania to implement new workplace requirements, including a mandate for all workers to wear masks.  DOH accompanied the order with a guidance, which was available shortly after issuance of the order.  Unlike the order, the recommendations in the guidance are not mandatory, and are in some ways broader than the requirements of the order.  The order became effective immediately upon its issuance, with enforcement scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. on April 19, 2020.

In the days after issuance of the order, various advocacy groups raised a variety of questions about the new requirements.  DOH has now responded with a publication it calls COVID-19 Workplace Safety Questions.  This document is in the nature of Frequently Asked Questions.  The information provided in the more than 50 FAQs is not organized into categories.  This article organizes some of the key points into four categories: masks; definition of “probable” case; temperature screening; and enforcement.Continue Reading Pennsylvania Health Department answers FAQs about worker safety order