Presidential Documents

7211 

Federal Register 

Vol. 86, No. 15 

Tuesday, January 26, 2021 

Title 3— 

The President 

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 

7212 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / Presidential Documents 

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. 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / Presidential Documents 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. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

January 21, 2021. 

[FR Doc. 2021–01863 

Filed 1–25–21; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


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