OSHA updates temporary standard on vaccination and testing

Editor’s note: As of Nov. 12, 2021, OSHA said it has suspended the implementation and enforcement of this emergency temporary standard. We are closely following the situation and will update this story as needed.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Vaccination and Testing.

Facets of the standard include:

1. Employers with at least 100 employees will be required to adopt a mandatory vaccination policy unless they adopt a policy requiring unvaccinated workers to undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering at work.

2. Covered employers must provide paid time for workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and ensure workers have paid sick leave to recover from any side effects that prevent them from working.

3. Employers must comply with most provisions by 30 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register, and comply with the testing requirement by 60 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register. Learn more about compliance dates here.

4. Businesses that don’t comply may face significant OSHA fines.

Moore information about the ETS, fact sheets, FAQs and compliance assistance materials can be found here.