OSHA Changes Guidance on Employer-mandated Vaccinations, Recording Procedures

ENR reports that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised previous guidance regarding employer-mandatied COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as guidance regarding the recording of adverse reactions experienced by employees to vaccinations.

The agency’s FAQ page now includes the following language:

"The Department of Labor and OSHA, as well as other federal agencies, are working diligently to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. OSHA does not wish to have any appearance of discouraging workers from receiving COVID-19 vaccination, and also does not wish to disincentivize employers’ vaccination efforts. As a result, OSHA will not enforce 29 CFR 1904’s recording requirements to require any employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination through May 2022. We will reevaluate the agency’s position at that time to determine the best course of action moving forward."