NRF Frets Over Pending OSHA Orders While Labor Advocates Press On

A group of retail industry interests led by the National Retail Federation are at odds with labor advocates as the Biden Administration prepares to announce new COVID-19 workplace safety guidelines, according to a new report from S&P Global. 

Early this year, Biden issued an executive order requiring OSHA to issue emergency temporary standards—the first such release in 40 years—for COVID-19 by March 15. 

The NRF is fretting about the potential cost and scope of the new regs, while labor advocates say uniform standards are critical to protect front-line retail workers. And for some, the guidelines are sorely overdue. 

In an emailed statement to S&P Global Market Intelligence, a Department of Labor spokesperson said that OSHA “has been working diligently, as appropriate, to consider what standards may be necessary, and is taking the time to get this right.” 

But the NRF says its members have already found themselves reeling from a variety of workplace safety rules that are being continually updated as the pandemic drags on. 

“Over the past year, retailers have taken extraordinary precautions to protect the health and safety of customers and employees during this global health crisis,” said NRF Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French in a statement. “NRF has worked extensively with the CDC, OSHA and state and local health agencies to ensure that retailers continue to utilize safety protocols and standards that in many cases exceed government-issued regulations.” 

NRF also maintains that “an OSHA regulation—especially one promulgated without the benefit of the normal notice and comment process—could distract from retailers’ existing safety efforts that are effectively protecting employees and customers from the dangers of COVID-19.”