Update on OSHA’s Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard

On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the stay placed by the Fifth Circuit and cleared the way for OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to proceed.  A coalition of trade groups quickly appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court for final determination.

Almost immediately, OSHA updated its site as follows:

Litigation Update
OSHA is gratified the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolved the Fifth Circuit’s stay of the Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard. OSHA can now once again implement this vital workplace health standard, which will protect the health of workers by mitigating the spread of the unprecedented virus in the workplace.

To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS. To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard. OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance.

Per OSHA’s statement, employers will now have until January 10, 2022 to develop compliant policies and until February 9, 2022 to begin testing programs. Additionally, OSHA noted that no enforcement will start before January 10, 2022.

Lake Effect recommends that all covered employers (defined as those with at least 100 employees firm or corporate-wide at any time the ETS is in effect) proceed as if the ETS will be implemented, but recognize there may be further delays pending a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.   Please see Lake Effect’s prior blogs on OSHA’s ETS for more complete information about the provisions of the standard.

Lake Effect is here to answer your questions about COVID-19 compliance and will continue to monitor important legal and HR developments, as well as COVID-related updates from federal, state, and local authorities. Please watch our blogs and emails for these important updates, as well as discussions of how compliance meets culture. To dive into these issues, contact us at info@le-hrlaw.com or 1-844-333-5253.

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