As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue, many questions continue to be raised by employers trying to stay compliant with all applicable rules and regulations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released new guidance regarding the recordability of adverse COVID-19 vaccine reactions. This new OSHA guidance will be important for all businesses to become familiar with in order to ensure accurate recordkeeping and compliance.
New OSHA Guidance
Many employers may be wondering whether or not they need to include adverse employee reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine on their OSHA log. The new OSHA guidance provides a definitive answer to this important question.
The Department of Labor and OSHA, in an effort to encourage Americans to get vaccinated and to avoid desensitizing employers’ vaccination efforts, will not enforce requirements for employers to record worker side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine through May 2022. OSHA will re-evaluate their position at that time to determine the best course of action moving forward.
The new OSHA guidance also offers protection for employees who choose not to receive the vaccine. OSHA states, “An employee’s choice to accept or reject the vaccine cannot affect [his or her] performance rating or professional advancement,” and that “an employee who chooses not to receive the vaccine cannot suffer any repercussions from this choice.”
Questions?
Talk to a trusted RCM&D advisor today for more on OSHA’s new COVID-19 recordability rules and if you have any questions on OSHA recordkeeping at your organization. Additionally, you can also review OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccine frequently asked questions page for more information.
NOTE: This blog was updated on 5/25/2021 to reflect changes in OSHA’s recordability rules.