Occupational safety: face coverings.

Assembly Member McKinnor's workplace safety legislation codifies permanent protections for California employees who choose to wear face coverings on the job. The measure prohibits employers from preventing workers from wearing surgical masks, medical procedure masks, respirators, or multi-layer fabric face coverings unless their use creates a specific safety hazard.

The bill establishes clear parameters around acceptable face coverings, requiring them to completely cover the nose and mouth while fitting snugly against the face without gaps. Qualifying face coverings include clear masks or those with transparent panels to facilitate communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The measure explicitly excludes single-layer items like scarves, bandanas, and balaclavas from its protections. Under the legislation, employers retain the ability to briefly require face covering removal for identification purposes when doing so poses no safety risk.

The provisions supplement existing occupational safety regulations while preserving the authority of local health departments to implement more stringent requirements. Violations of the face covering protections constitute a criminal offense under California's workplace safety enforcement framework. The measure specifies that local agencies will not receive state reimbursement for any costs associated with the new requirements, as they stem from modifications to existing criminal statutes.