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 (ETS). 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.
Comment Period: The ETS on Vaccination and Testing was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2021. The ETS also acts as a proposal for a permanent standard and OSHA has decided to extend the comment period for that rule by 45 days. Written comments on any aspect of the ETS must now be submitted by January 19, 2022 to www.regulations.gov in Docket number OSHA-2021-0007, which is the only way that OSHA is receiving comments on the ETS. Written comments on the information collection request as described in Section V.K. of the ETS preamble [2021-23643] must still be submitted by January 4, 2022 in Docket number OSHA-2021-0008.
OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting Webinar for Region VIII
Join us on January 19, 2022 (8 am MST) for a review of OSHA’s recordkeeping standard (29 CFR 1904). This discussion will outline the basics of what makes an injury or illness recordable and/or reportable and how employers should maintain, post, and, in some cases, electronically submit their annual summary (300A Form) to OSHA. Current guidance on recording and reporting work-related cases of COVID-19 will also be covered. To sign up for the session, contact John Olaechea (olaechea.john@dol.gov or 720-264-6586) by January 15. To view the documents reviewed during the webinar, click the links below.
