OSH and the COVID-19 pandemic: A legal analysis

Abstract

This study provides an analysis of how occupational safety and health (OSH) regulation responded to the circumstances of key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains the objectives of OSH regulation, including its main elements and how it has evolved over time. It draws from national country studies from Africa (Rwanda); Asia (China, Japan, Republic of Korea); Europe (Italy, Spain, United Kingdom); North America (United States) and South America (Brazil, Colombia) to explain how different jurisdictions address safety and health in their regulatory frameworks and how these frameworks operate in practice, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: occupational safety and health, covid-19, ILO, administrative law, labor law