[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7211-7213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01863]



[[Page 7209]]

Vol. 86

Tuesday,

No. 15

January 26, 2021

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 13999--Protecting Worker Health and Safety



Executive Order 14000--Supporting the Reopening and Continuing 
Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers



Executive Order 14001--A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain



Memorandum of January 20, 2021--Modernizing Regulatory Review
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 7211]]

                Executive Order 13999 of January 21, 2021

                
Protecting Worker Health and Safety

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Ensuring the health and safety of 
                workers is a national priority and a moral imperative. 
                Healthcare workers and other essential workers, many of 
                whom are people of color and immigrants, have put their 
                lives on the line during the coronavirus disease 2019 
                (COVID-19) pandemic. It is the policy of my 
                Administration to protect the health and safety of 
                workers from COVID-19.

                The Federal Government must take swift action to reduce 
                the risk that workers may contract COVID-19 in the 
                workplace. That will require issuing science-based 
                guidance to help keep workers safe from COVID-19 
                exposure, including with respect to mask-wearing; 
                partnering with State and local governments to better 
                protect public employees; enforcing worker health and 
                safety requirements; and pushing for additional 
                resources to help employers protect employees.

                Sec. 2. Protecting Workers from COVID-19 Under the 
                Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Secretary of 
                Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor 
                for Occupational Safety and Health, in furtherance of 
                the policy described in section 1 of this order and 
                consistent with applicable law, shall:

                    (a) issue, within 2 weeks of the date of this order 
                and in conjunction or consultation with the heads of 
                any other appropriate executive departments and 
                agencies (agencies), revised guidance to employers on 
                workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic;
                    (b) consider whether any emergency temporary 
                standards on COVID-19, including with respect to masks 
                in the workplace, are necessary, and if such standards 
                are determined to be necessary, issue them by March 15, 
                2021;
                    (c) review the enforcement efforts of the 
                Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 
                related to COVID-19 and identify any short-, medium-, 
                and long-term changes that could be made to better 
                protect workers and ensure equity in enforcement;
                    (d) launch 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; and
                    (e) coordinate with the Department of Labor's 
                Office of Public Affairs and Office of Public 
                Engagement and all regional OSHA offices to conduct, 
                consistent with applicable law, a multilingual outreach 
                campaign to inform workers and their representatives of 
                their rights under applicable law. This campaign shall 
                include engagement with labor unions, community 
                organizations, and industries, and place a special 
                emphasis on communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

                Sec. 3. Protecting Other Categories of Workers from 
                COVID-19. (a) The Secretary of Labor, acting through 
                the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational 
                Safety and Health and consistent with applicable law, 
                shall:

(i) coordinate with States that have occupational safety and health plans 
approved under section 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act) 
(29 U.S.C. 667) to seek to ensure that workers covered by such

[[Page 7212]]

plans are adequately protected from COVID-19, consistent with any revised 
guidance or emergency temporary standards issued by OSHA; and

(ii) in States that do not have such plans, consult with State and local 
government entities with responsibility for public employee safety and 
health and with public employee unions to bolster protection from COVID-19 
for public sector workers.

                    (b) The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
                Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
                Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of 
                Energy, in consultation with the heads of any other 
                appropriate agencies, shall, consistent with applicable 
                law, explore mechanisms to protect workers not 
                protected under the Act so that they remain healthy and 
                safe on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
                    (c) The Secretary of Labor, acting through the 
                Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and 
                Health, shall consider whether any emergency temporary 
                standards on COVID-19 applicable to coal and metal or 
                non-metal mines are necessary, and if such standards 
                are determined to be necessary and consistent with 
                applicable law, issue them as soon as practicable.

                Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

[[Page 7213]]

                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 21, 2021.

[FR Doc. 2021-01863
Filed 1-25-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P