Identifying Counterfeit and Fake N95 Masks

Approximately 10 million fake 3M N95 masks have been distributed in at least five states, and federal, and state authorities are managing to seize and cease the counterfeit ring. The masks are designed to mimic 3M N95 masks, with details including raised marking and printed logos. As a response, 3M has issued a warning describing the model and lot numbers to look out for when purchasing masks. 

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has also released a guide on how to spot masks that are falsely claimed to be approved by the NIOSH. NIOSH-approved masks will have an official approval label on or within the packaging, and the filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) of the N95 masks should also have an abbreviated approval. 

The NIOSH Certified Equipment List (CEL) or the NIOSH Trusted-Source page can be used as a resource to verify and determine whether NIOSH has approved the respirator. The approved FFRs include N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, and P100.  

Signs that a respirator may be counterfeit:

• No markings at all on the filtering facepiece respirator (FFR).

• No approval (TC) number on FFR or headband.

• No NIOSH markings.

• NIOSH spelled incorrectly.

• Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g., sequins).

• Claims of approval for children (NIOSH does not approve any type of respiratory protection for children).

• FFR has ear loops instead of headbands.

NIOSH also offers additional tips on how to identify counterfeit masks, including third-party marketplaces. Some things to consider include: 

• If a listing claims to be “legitimate” and “genuine,” it likely is not.

• Examine transactions history and feedback if possible

• Look for fluctuations of items traded over time (high or low transaction periods)

• Look for price deviations and fluctuations (Is it too good to be true?)

• Look at the quantity a buyer has in stock.

• During a time of shortage, advertising “unlimited stock” could indicate that the respirator is not approved.

• Does the seller break marketplace policy and hide their contact information within images to circumvent filters.

OSHA Proposes Updates to Hazard Communication Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is scheduled to publish a notice of proposed rule update to its Hazard Communication (“Haz Com”) Standard on February 16th, 2021. This proposed change will align its rules with those in the seventh version of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

OSHA’s Haz Com was initially established in 1983, and it provides a systematized approach to communicating workplace hazards associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals. The Haz Com Standard is currently linked to the third version of GHS, which was created in 2012. In the Haz Com Standard, chemical manufacturers are required to classify the hazards of chemical which they produce or import into the US, and employers need to provide information to their employees about the hazardous chemicals to which they are exposed. This includes providing a hazard communication program, labeling and other forms of warning, safety data sheets, and training. The notice of proposed rulemaking will enhance worker protections by updating the Haz Com Standard, which should support more extensive efforts to address workplace hazards such as aggregate exposures and cumulative risk models. 

Some other key modifications included in the proposed rule include:

• New flexibility for labeling bulk shipments of hazardous chemicals, including allowing labels to be placed on the immediate container or transmitted with shipping papers, bills of loading, or by other technological or electronic means that are immediately available to workers in printed form on the receiving end of the shipment;

• New alternative labeling options where a manufacturer or importer can demonstrate that it is not feasible to use traditional pull-out labels, fold-back labels, or tags containing the full label information generally required under the Haz Com Standard, including specific alternative requirements for containers less than or equal to 100ml capacity and for containers less than or equal to 3ml capacity; and

• New requirements to update the labels on individual containers that have been released for shipment but are awaiting future distribution where the manufacturer, importer, or distributor become aware of new significant information regarding the chemical’s hazards.

OSHA will be accepting comments on the proposed rule until April 19th, 2021. Comments can be submitted at https://www.regulations.gov/. 

New COVID Testing Guidance Requiring Employers To Obtain Informed Consent

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued new guidance that will require employers to get informed consent from employees before testing them for COVID-19. In October, the CDC released guidance on employer testing, but it did not issue revised guidance containing the informed consent requirement until January 21. The new guidance states that “informed consent required disclosure, understanding, and free choice and is necessary for an employee to act independently and make choices according to their values, goals, and preferences.”

Earlier guidance issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also directed employers to obtain informed consent before testing. The CDC recommends employers to provide the workers who will be tested with “complete and understandable information about how the employer’s testing program may impact employee’ lives, such as if a positive test result or declination to participate in testing may mean exclusion from work.” 

According to the CDC, a few things for an employer to consider when developing a COVID testing program should be:

• Why is the employer offering the test to begin with?

• How frequently will employees be tested?

• How to effectively obtain employee consent.

• What to do if an employee declines to be tested.

The CDC also offers a list of key measures an employer should implement when developing a testing program to ensure that informed consent is obtained, including:

• Ensure safeguards are in place to protect an employee’s privacy and confidentiality.

• Provide complete and understandable information about how the employer’s testing program may impact employees’ lives, such as if a positive test result or declination to participate in testing may mean exclusion from work.

• Explain any parts of the testing program an employee would consider especially important when deciding whether to participate. This involves explaining the key reasons that may guide their decision.

• Provide information about the testing program in the employee’s preferred language using non-technical terms. Consider obtaining employee input on the readability of the information. Employers can use this tool to create clear messages.

• Encourage supervisors and co-workers to avoid pressuring employees to participate in testing.

• Encourage and answer questions during the consent process. The consent process is active information sharing between an employer or their representative and an employee, in which the employer discloses the information, answers questions to facilitate understanding, and promotes the employee’s free choice.

Executive Order Signed to Direct Federal Regulators to Issue Stronger Safety Guidance For Workplaces Operating Amid the Pandemic

Newly elected U.S president Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday, January 21st, that seeks to reorient workers’ safety guidelines and enforcement at the Labor Department’s workplace safety division - the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

The new order on “Protecting Worker Health and Safety” directs OSHA to update COVID safety recommendations for businesses within the next two weeks, review its enforcement efforts, and study whether a temporary emergency standard is necessary. This executive order would be a shift from the Trump administration's more business and industry-focused approach and would put more emphasis on the predicament of workers. Throughout the early months of the COVID breakout, OSHA had relatively lax enforcement of workplace safety guidelines, which caused workers to form unions.

Biden’s executive order also calls for OSHA to train its enforcement apparatus on outbreaks. This is accomplished by launching a “national program to focus OSHA enforcement efforts related to COVID-19 on violations that put the largest number of workers at serious risk or are contrary to anti-retaliation principles”. It also directs the Department of Labor to conduct a multilingual outreach program to publicize the efforts better.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Fined Over $437,000 for Safety Violations in a 2019 Gas Explosion

Maryland has fined Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) for over $437,000 on January 7th, 2021, for safety violations related to a 2019 gas explosion at a Columbia office park. The state has also ordered the utility company to follow through on a remediation plan to upgrade gas lines for more than 1,250 buildings, which could cost around $17 million to prevent future accidents. 

The Public Service Commission of Maryland (PSC) revealed that BGE violated numerous state and federal statutes and regulations. They were ordered to pay two installments of $218,647, and it must be paid within 15 business days. BGE released a statement noting that they have 57 projects currently and have been working to improve 253 gas and electric common service trenches configured the same as those in the explosion. They expect to complete all of the projects by the end of 2021. 

BGE also plans to upgrade an additional 1,000 buildings with smaller-diameter gas pipes, using new practices designed to restrict gas service when the gas flow exceeds certain limits. They expect the upgrades to be completed by the end of 2023. All of these projects will ensure the safe and reliable operations of the BGE system so that future accidents can be prevented.