This past week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released updated guidance on safety in the workplace related to COVID-19. This comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s executive order on workplace safety. The Biden administration has hit the ground running as it relates to the pandemic. What should we expect in the coming weeks from OSHA and the Department of Labor for the waste and recycling industry? First, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s hearing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is scheduled for February 4. Mayor Walsh will not be questioned on all aspects of the Department of Labor. I can imagine that he will have questions on a wide variety of issues, from the status of independent contractors, to international trade agreements related to protecting workers’ rights, to a myriad of questions directed toward the pandemic. The pandemic questions will likely cover topics such as unemployment insurance, workplace training, safety of farmworkers and his stance on the issuing of an emergency temporary standard from OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. How Mayor Walsh responds to the myriad of questions he will receive will be telling as to what to expect from his leadership at the Department of Labor. I will be watching to see if he answers the questions directly, or if he deflects them.