TITLE 16. LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: Pursuant to subdivision (6a) of § 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia, the Safety and Health Codes Board may adopt an emergency temporary standard to take immediate effect upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation, published in the City of Richmond, Virginia, if the board determines that employees are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or from new hazards, and that such emergency standard is necessary to protect employees from such danger. The newspaper publication constituted notice that the board intends to adopt such standard within a period of six months. The board by similar publication shall prior to the expiration of six months give notice of the time and date of, and conduct a hearing on, the adoption of a permanent standard.
Title of Regulation: 16VAC25-220. Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus that Causes COVID-19 (repealing 16VAC25-220-10 through 16VAC25-220-90).
Statutory Authority: § 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.
Effective Date: March 23, 2022.
Agency Contact: Cristin Bernhardt, Regulatory Coordinator, Department of Labor and Industry, 600 East Main Street, Suite 207, Richmond VA 23219, telephone (804) 786-2392, email cristin.bernhardt@doli.virginia.gov.
Summary:
This action is taken pursuant to Executive Order Number Six (2022), Reinvigorating Job Growth by Removing Burdensome Regulations from Virginia's Business Community. The Safety and Health Codes Board adopted the action repealing the Virginia Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARSCoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19 (16VAC25-220) on March 21, 2022. The regulation being repealed provides requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, thereby protecting employees and the general public. The Safety and Health Codes Board conducted (i) a 30-day comment period from February 17, 2022, to March 19, 2022, and (ii) a public hearing on March 14, 2022, to provide opportunity for public comment prior to the final vote to repeal the standard. The repeal is effective upon publication in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on March 23, 2022.
VA.R. Doc. No. R22-6165; Filed March 22, 2022