OSHA Launches Program to Protect High-Risk Workers from COVID-19 In response to an executive order from President Biden, OSHA has released details on how it will focus in on worker safety and health amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mar 12, 2021 In a highly anticipated move, the Occupational Health & Safety Administration announced a new program intended to protect high-risk workers from coronavirus. In a press release, OSHA said it launched a national emphasis program (NEP) focusing enforcement efforts on companies that put the largest number of workers at series risk of contracting the coronavirus. “This deadly pandemic has taken a staggering toll on U.S. workers and their families. We have a moral obligation to do what we can to protect workers, especially for the many who have no other protection,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick. “This program seeks to substantially reduce or eliminate coronavirus exposure for workers in companies where risks are high, and to protect workers who raise concerns that their employer is failing to protect them from the risks of exposure.”