OSHA Vaccine Mandates and COVID Policy

Seems like two different government agencies should have spoken to each other before making vaccine policies. I’m Amy E. Feldman.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission confirmed it’s not illegal for employers to require employees to be vaccinated for COVID, provided they accommodate workers who can’t. So it seems odd that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently put out guidance saying if an employer requires its employees to be vaccinated, adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered “work-related”. Covered employers who require COVID-19 vaccines have to notify OSHA of an employee’s inpatient hospitalization because of an adverse reaction. Employers don’t have to notify OSHA if they encourage or incentivize employees but don’t require it, and the requirement doesn’t apply to companies in low risk industries like offices that don’t have to fill out the logs, so it doesn’t affect all employers, but the EEOC and OSHA maybe should have talked to each other about ways to have complimentary policies.