Facts about reporting, fines and timeline with new OSHA ETS

Every employer in America has been tracking the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that requires employers with 100 or more employees to implement a Covid-19 vaccination or weekly testing program for their workforces.

What does the ETS require employers to do for reporting and record keeping?
Determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination from vaccinated employees, maintain records of each employee’s vaccination status, and for those employees who are not vaccinated, maintain a roster of each employee’s weekly covid testing results. Sospes safety software system can support your compliance by tracking vaccination status, collecting test results, and allow employees to screen for COVID-19 symptoms – all in one place.

Timeline
Employers must comply with most provisions by January 10, 2022. Employers must comply with the testing requirement by February 9, 2022.

On December 22, 2021, the Supreme Court issued orders granting review of legal challenges to the OSHA ETS.  Oral arguments are set for January 7, 2022.

While there is a specified timeline for adoption, it is not clear how the timeline is affected by the current litigation.

While it is unknown whether the Supreme Court will be able to issue a ruling by OSHA’s January 10, 2022 compliance date, the Supreme Court’s expedited schedule indicates that it is attempting to give employers some finality.

Fines and Citations
OSHA will not issue citations for non-compliance with any requirements of the OSHA ETS before January 10, 2022.  Additionally, there will be will no citations issued for noncompliance with testing requirements before February 9, 2022, if an employer is exercising reasonable compliance efforts.

Discover more on how you can prepare for compliance with your OSHA ETS reporting using digital software by talking to a Sospes rep today.

Reference and additional information: OSHA Fact Sheet