On Sunday, the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Health issued new standards for building cleanliness to protect the public health.
The new order applies to all buildings with at least 50,000 square feet which are used for commercial, industrial, or other purposes, such as warehousing, manufacturing, and residential buildings with at least 50 units. The new order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, April 6, 2020.
A copy of the new order is available here.
In addition to maintaining pre-existing cleaning protocols established in the building, additional cleaning protocols required by the order include:
- Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas routinely in accordance with CDC guidelines, including those areas which are accessible to customers, tenants, or other individuals
- Ensuring that the business has a sufficient number of employees to perform the ordered cleaning measures and in a manner that ensures the safety of occupants and employees
- Ensuring that the business has a sufficient number of security employees to control access, maintain order, and enforce social distancing of at least 6 feet, provided the security employees are otherwise responsible for such enforcement
It appears that most, if not all businesses, which are permitted to remain operational at this time have already taken these measures to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its employees, customers, and other individuals. However, to the extent not already being done, a business should take steps necessary to comply with the new building cleanliness order.
Please contact Josh Baker (jbaker@metzlewis.com or 412-918-1149) if you have any questions about the new building cleanliness order in Pennsylvania.
This post was written by Joshua Baker
