OSHA Sends Employer Vaccine Rule to White House for Final Review
The final OSHA regulation on Vaccine mandates is almost ready
The U.S. Labor Department advanced an emergency regulation for final White House review that will force many private-sector companies to require employee vaccinations or virus testing.
DOLs Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent the rule to the White Houses regulatory office Tuesday, the agency announced. Although the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs can sometimes take months to conclude its analysis, President Joe Biden called for an expedited process, which could mean the office will give its OK in as little as a day.
OSHA would then be able to publish the emergency temporary standard, and it would take effect immediately. Historically, the agency has provided businesses with a short period before theyd be required to comply.
The standard implements the presidents Sept. 9 order for a regulation requiring businesses with at least 100 employees to mandate workers get fully vaccinated or be tested weekly for Covid-19. Biden also asked for the rule to provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated and to recover from any side effects.
An emergency standard bypasses what is normally a years-long regulatory process. To do so, OSHA must establish that the vaccination or testing requirement was necessary to protect workers from a grave danger.