The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- Pennsylvania
- Level
- State
- Authority
- Interpretive guidance on the Order of the Secretary of Health Directing Public Health Safety Measures for Businesses Permitted to Maintain In-person Operations (Apr. 15, 2020; PA-008), issued under 35 P.S. sec. 521.5, 71 P.S. secs. 532, 536, 1403 and 28 Pa. Code secs. 27.60-27.68
- Issued
- 2020-04-15 Apr. 15, 2020
- Effective
- With PA-008 (enforceable 8:00 p.m. Apr. 19, 2020) (read as 2020-04-19)
- End
- With PA-008 (superseded Nov. 27, 2020 by the Mitigation and Enforcement Orders, PA-022 and PA-023) (read as 2020-11-27)
- In force
- Apr. 19, 2020 to Nov. 27, 2020
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q4
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Capacity limitFace-covering requirementWorkplace rulesOperating condition
- Addressees
- employers maintaining in-person operations (life-sustaining businesses and, from the yellow phase, every business authorized to reopen); their employees
- Character
- agency position statement
- Collection
- Standing duties: Pennsylvania DUT-PA
Operative words
the Secretary of Health has ordered certain actions to be taken by employers and the employees of life-sustaining businesses (employees) to protect their health and lives, the health and lives of their families, and the health and lives of the residents of the Commonwealth who depend upon their services.
Penalty
Enforcement through the Department's online complaint webform and the enforcement agencies the Order names; violations of the Order chargeable under 71 P.S. sec. 1409 and 35 P.S. sec. 521.20 (Ex. DUT-PA-010)
What it required
Restated the Worker Safety Order as commands on employers: 'All businesses are ordered to wait a minimum of 24 hours, or as long as practical, before' cleaning an exposed area; 'Facilities must clean and disinfect all spaces'; employers 'are required to provide masks to employees to wear during business hours'; 'essential businesses must limit occupancy to no greater than 50% of their certified occupancy'; and announced that 'The Department will create a webform for employees to report violations' with complaints 'only... taken online.' Character as recorded: agency_position_statement (release, FAQ, memorandum or statement; covid_workplace_rule layer).
Retrieval noteLinked from the Department's construction and real-estate guidance (PA-054, PA-059) as 'COVID-19 Workplace Safety Questions.' Recorded exactly: staggered shifts are stated as 'Employers should take all possible steps to encourage social distancing, including staggering shift start/stop times' (recommendation); funeral homes 'should follow' the State Registrar Notice; the Order 'does not apply to health care workers,' who are governed by the Health Alert Network directives (PA-046 to PA-049, PA-118).