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California Assembly Bill 685

01/24/2022

 

Summary:

On September 17, 2020 California Governor Newson signed the AB 685 into law requesting employers to provide written notifications of potential workplace COVID-19 exposure to employees and any contractors.
Employers are also required to report any outbreak of COVID-19 to local public health agencies.

Outbreak: Three or more laboratory-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 among employees who live in different households within a two-week period.

Details see: California Legislative Information

Effective Period: January 1st, 2021 to January 1st, 2023

Employer Responsibilities:

Notification to Employees and Employers of Subcontracted Employees

Employers must provide written notification to all employees and employers of subcontracted employees immediately (within one business day) of the following:

  1. Personnel who were at the same worksite as the COVID-19 infectious person
  2. Personnel who were subject to COVID-19 related quarantine order

Notification to Local Public Health Agencies

  1. Employers need to notify local public health agencies of an outbreak within 48 hours of knowledge.
  2. Employers need to notify local public health agency in jurisdiction of exposed employee’s workplace, along with business address and NAICS industry code of the workplace.
  3. Employers must provide continuous notice to local public health agency of any subsequent laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19.

CAL OSHA Citation: AB685 allows CAL OSHA to issue citations for serious violations related to COVID-19 without giving employers 15-day notice before issuance.

Maximum $25,000 fine and mandatory minimum $18,000 fine for accident-related serious citations.

Infectious Disease Preparedness & Response Plan

Employers should develop and implement workplace control for workplace safety.

  • Engineering Control
  • Administrative Control
  • Work Practice Control
  • Personal Protective Equipment

Should you have any questions on the matter, kindly contact your Account Manager.

See below for some sample safety logs and notification forms.