Employees in health care and other high-risk environments face long-standing infectious disease hazards such as tuberculosis (TB), varicella disease (chickenpox, shingles), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and measles, as well as new and emerging infectious disease threats, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and pandemic influenza. OSHA examined regulatory alternatives for control measures to protect employees in these settings from exposure to pathogens that can cause significant infectious disease. Workplaces where such control measures might be necessary include: health care, emergency response, and other occupational settings where employees can be at increased risk of exposure to individuals who are potentially infectious. A standard could also apply to laboratories which handle materials that may be a source of pathogens, and to settings where human remains are handled (e.g., morgues, mortuaries, funeral homes).  OSHA published a Request for Information in 2010 and completed SBREFA in 2024.  OSHA withdrew its draft proposal from OIRA review on January 14, 2025.

In accordance with Executive Order 14192 (Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation), the agency has concluded that rulemaking on infectious disease is no longer an agency priority and is withdrawing this rulemaking from the regulatory agenda.