Shortages Underline Uneasy Conditions for Essential Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic

As California and other states attempt to mitigate the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of personal protective equipment for health care professionals and essential workers has underscored the dangerous conditions in which they operate. But what can employers do when there are no masks or respirators to hand out? And should workers be forced to reuse safety equipment that’s meant to be thrown away? In times like these, the questions don’t always receive status quo answers, said Garrett Brown, former field compliance officer and special assistant to the chief of Cali...