NRMCA Voices Objections to OSHA COVID-19 Employer Vaccination Plan

Earlier this week, NRMCA’s Safety, Environmental and Operations (SEO) Department staff met with members of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to relay the industry’s concerns with the impending Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that will mandate employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees get vaccinated or be subject to regular testing. While few details are known about what will be required, as the ETS text is not yet public, what is known only begs more questions.

The impending ETS from OSHA is at the direction of President Biden who directed OSHA to implement the ETS back in September. Late last week, OSHA sent its suggested text for an ETS to OMB for review. This is generally the final stop before a rule is finalized. Given the short turnaround timeframe President Biden has given OSHA to finalize the mandate, it is anticipated that a final rule could be issued in the coming days.

In remarks to OMB, NRMCA highlighted the industry’s concerns that were communicated with both OSHA and the Department of Labor through a letter sent last month from NRMCA President Mike Philipps. Those same points, including the industry’s concerns about the ETS process, justification, clarity, lack of stakeholder comment availability, and especially the potential impact such a mandate could have on the industry’s driver pool, were all stressed in the meeting.

NRMCA continues to advocate on this issue for beneficial industry outcomes and will continue to relay any developments as they arise.

For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.