Las Vegas, NV September 28, 2020
During initial
observations conducted September 21 through 26, Division of Industrial
Relations (DIR) officials found that 90 percent of the 359 businesses visited
were compliant with required health and safety measures to slow community
spread of COVID-19. Initial visits during this time period were focused
primarily on bars and restaurants.
Industry
compliance for business types with 10 or more observations were as follows:
- General Retail, 18
observations- 67 percent
- Bars, 103 observations- 86
percent
- Hair/ Nail/ Tattoo Salons, 10
observations- 90 percent
- Other, 57 observations- 91
percent
- Real Estate, 13 observations-
92 percent
- Restaurants, 98 observations-
94 percent
- Medical, 16 observations- 100
percent
- Financial Institutions, 10
observations- 100 percent
A total of
8,507 initial visits have been conducted since the Governor’s Declaration of
Emergency Directive 24 went into effect with an overall compliance rate of 89
percent. In northern Nevada, 4,276 businesses have been observed with a 90
percent rate of compliance, while 4,231 initial observations in southern Nevada
found 87 percent compliance. Officials also
conducted 124 follow up visits, 97 of those were conducted in northern Nevada
and found a 100 percent compliance rate. In southern Nevada, 27 follow up
visits were conducted with a 56 percent compliance rate. Repeated observed
violations may result in the opening of an investigation in order to
substantiate the observed violative conditions and may lead to the issuance of
a Notice of Citation and Penalty.
A total of
1,568 follow up visits have been conducted statewide, resulting in a cumulative
compliance rate of 95 percent, with 97 percent overall compliance in northern
Nevada and 92 percent in the south.
No citations
were issued as a result of the observation process last week.
In addition to
the field observation process, Nevada OSHA continues respond to complaints and
referrals regarding face coverings, social distancing, cleaning and
disinfection, and other areas of concern related to COVID-19 received by their
offices. More than 3,700 complaints have been received since mid-March. The
majority of these complaints are resolved through an employer inquiry and
response process. In instances where the inquiry process does not provide a
satisfactory response or resolution of the complaint, an investigation is
opened. An in-field inspection can also be initiated when violations of
standard or regulation are alleged in addition to COVID concerns. A
notice of citation and penalty is issued to the business if a violation is
found as a result of the investigation.
Workplace
safety concerns can be filed online with Nevada OSHA at https://www.osha.gov/pls/osha7/eComplaintForm.html.
The Division’s
Safety Consultation and Training Section (SCATS) also offers free consultations
to businesses to help them understand and implement the requirements in order
to comply with the health and safety guidance and directives for all
businesses, and specific requirements for each industry. SCATS can be reached
by calling 1-877-4SAFENV.
About
the Division of Industrial Relations:
The
Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) is the principal regulatory
agency responsible for workplace safety and worker protections in the state of
Nevada. Comprised of five sections –Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, Workers’ Compensation Section, Mechanical Compliance Section,
Mine Safety and Training Section, and the Safety Consultation and Training
Section – DIR works to protect Nevada’s working men and women and provides a
broad scope of training and support to the regulated community. For more
information please visit http://dir.nv.gov.
About
Nevada OSHA:
Nevada
OSHA operates as an approved state program as defined by section 18 of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and is required by the Act to
operate in a manner that is at least as effective as the federal OSHA
enforcement program. Operating out of district offices in Las Vegas and
Reno, Nevada OSHA conducts inspections and investigations intended to identify
hazardous conditions which could harm Nevada’s workers and enforces state and
federal laws protecting the state’s workers. From July 2018 to June 2019,
Nevada OSHA conducted over 1,060 inspections, issuing an average of 1.4 serious
violations per inspection. The Nevada State Plan, at the time of publication of
this media release, is funded by a grant of $1,486,600 federal funds, which
constitutes 50 percent of the State Plan budget. Fifty percent, or $1,486,600
of the State Plan budget, is financed through non-governmental sources. For
more information visit http://dir.nv.gov/OSHA/home.
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