Billboard Insider asked Formetco Safety Director Jim Poage for an update on pending White House COVID 19 vaccination rules.

What’s new with the White House COVID19 vaccination plan?

Well, technically speaking, the expectation that businesses with 100 or more employees will require vaccinations or weekly testing of employees is still planned to go into effect on January 4, 2022, but there have been a few new events that I think will slow it down some. One is the federal court of appeals that temporarily suspended the administrations vaccine requirement saying that it had “grave statutory and constitutional issues.”  Added to this are the individual states that are filing legal action against the federal government for the mandatory program. All of these together could delay the requirement from going into place until well after the first of the year.

Have there been any other issues that have occurred with employers enforcing a vaccination program?

Yes, and it is an interesting approach. There have been reports of some large employers denying death benefits to unvaccinated employees that die from COVID related issues.

Would OSHA still be used as the enforcement for the program?

Yes, and the deputy assistant secretary of labor at OSHA Jim Fredrick has said “OSHA estimates that this rule will save thousands of lives and prevent more than 250,000 hospitalizations” after it goes into effect. We know that many, many workplaces will be looking at this and starting up as early as today.” To me, this shows that they are in full support of the program and their part in the enforcement of the program. They also provided the following dates for implementation:

• By December 5, employers must comply with most requirements of the new rule, such as ensuring that unvaccinated workers wear a mask at their workplace. Employers must also choose whether they will require vaccinations or weekly testing by this date.
• By January 4, employers must ensure workers are either vaccinated or begin testing unvaccinated employees every week.
• Also by January 4, workers who are required to be vaccinated must be fully vaccinated.

Even though this is directed at the larger employers, it could also impact everyone else.

That is correct. The Truckload Carrier Association is predicting an “exodus” of truck drivers which could even further cause problems with the countries supply-chain crisis.

How’d Formetco’s October Safety Training Seminar go?

It was great.  A record number of participants.  We filled every seat.  Looking at doing another one first quarter of 2022.

You can reach Jim Poage at jimpoage@formetco.com, 602-359-8888

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