Employers with 100 or more employees will soon have to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated, according to new steps added to the White House's COVID-19 safety plan. Here's what you need to know about this plan to ensure the health and safety of your business:
- Vaccination and Testing: The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.
- Federal Employees and Contractors: All federal executive branch workers must be vaccinated, per an executive order signed on September 9, 2021. The President also signed an Executive Order extending this standard to employees of contractors that do business with the federal government. As part of this effort, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institute of Health will implement their previously announced vaccination requirements.
- PTO for Workers to Get Vaccinated: OSHA is developing a rule that will require employers with more than 100 employees to provide paid time off for the time it takes for workers to get vaccinated or to recover if they fall ill post-vaccination. This requirement will be implemented through an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).
According to an administration official, the OSHA rule requiring large companies to mandate vaccination and/or testing for their employees will be enforced by fines of $14,000 per violation. These requirements aim to further limit the spread of COVID-19 in the United States. Read more about the national COVID-19 safety plan here.
