OSHA Releases Vaccination and Testing ETS
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) to address the grave danger of COVID-19 infection in the workplace. Affected employers will be required to comply with most provisions of the ETS by Dec. 6, 2021, and with its testing requirements by Jan. 4, 2022. Affected employers include private employers with 100 or more employees (firmwide or companywide count). State plans will have 30 days to adopt the federal ETS or implement their own vaccination standard.
The ETS requires employers to:
- Develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy; or
- Create a policy allowing employees to choose to get a vaccination or wear a face covering in the workplace and have weekly COVID-19 testing done.
Employers must also determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination and keep a roster of each employee’s vaccinations status.