There’s a lot to digest in the new rules issued on Thursday, Nov. 4. This includes requirements from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for employers with 100 or more employees, to ensure each of their workers is fully vaccinated or tests for COVID-19 on at least a weekly basis. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services also announced the details of its requirement that health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid are fully vaccinated.

We hosted a Zoom call on Nov. 5 with David Canupp, an Attorney with Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, and Cindy Doty, a Human Resources Consultant with PassionHR Consulting. Both shared lots of information on the new requirements.

Here is the Powerpoint Canupp shared, and Doty shared several links to help you:

• Here is the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for 100+ employees (published and effective Nov. 5, 2021)
• Resources for employers, including links to sample ETS policies from OSHA and other documents you may need to comply with the ETS
• Helpful ETS FAQs issued on Nov. 4
• Key things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines (this is to meet requirements to educate workers on vaccine efficacy, safety, and the benefits of being vaccinated)
• Information for Employees on Penalties for False Statements and Records
• Workers’ Rights Handout for Employees (also available in Spanish)
• Guidance from EEOC explaining reasonable accommodation for medical and religious exemptions
• Sample reasonable accommodation request form from the EEOC for religious exemptions (they’ve shared their actual internal form as an example)