Do OSHA Standards describe when it is unsafe to return employees to the workplace?
Many factors obviously enter in and each employer will have to consider OSHA Standards and commonsense issues. Section 13(a) of the OSHA Act defines “imminent danger” as . . . “any conditions or practices in any place of employment which are such that a danger exists which can reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the enforcement procedures otherwise provided by this Act.” OSHA discusses “imminent danger” as where there is “threat of death or serious physical harm,” or “a reasonable expectation that toxic substances or other health hazards are present, and exposure to them will shorten life or cause substantial reduction in physical or mental efficiency.” The threat must be immediate or imminent, which means that an employee must believe that death or serious physical harm could occur within a short time, for example, before OSHA could investigate the problem. Once again, this guidance
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