Announcements

OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Workers from Coronavirus

Published on: November 5, 2021

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect workers from COVID-19. This standard requires covered employers with 100 or more employees to establish, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for their employees. Alternatively, covered employers may comply with the ETS by adopting a policy that requires employees either to get vaccinated or, in lieu of vaccination, to elect to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work.

The ETS applies to private employers with 100 or more employees. Public employers (including state and local government employers) may be covered by Occupational Safety and Health Act protections if they work in a State that has an OSHA-approved State Plan. Employers located in these States should refer to their State Plan to determine applicability, requirements, and compliance dates. To determine if your State has an OSHA-approved state plan, please visit the OSHA website.

Covered employers must comply with all provisions in the ETS, except for the COVID-19 testing requirement for unvaccinated employees, by December 6, 2021. Covered employers must comply with the testing requirement for unvaccinated employees by January 4, 2022.

For more information on the ETS, visit the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS website.

FTA will provide further updates and information as it becomes available.

Links

OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS News Release

COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS Federal Register Notice

OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS Website