The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has extended the comment period for the COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard to Jan. 19, 2022.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration suspended all activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for big companies while the mandate is tied up in court. 

Challenges to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers will be consolidated in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel dominated by judges appointed by Republicans, reports the Associated Press. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday, November 4 announced a new emergency temporary standard to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job. Employers with 100 or more employees have until Jan. 4 to ensure that their workforces are fully vaccinated.

Eighteen states filed three separate lawsuits Friday, October 29 to stop President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the requirement violates federal law, reported the Associated Press. 

Most workers in the United States are protected from retaliation for raising workplace health and safety concerns and for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. While these protections have been in place for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a record number of complaints from covered employees claiming retaliation by their employer. Since

Corrie Pitzer, a regular speaker at the National Safety Congress & Expo, kicked off Tuesday’s agenda with a “preview” of the opportunities and risks confronting safety and health professionals in a post-Covid world.

By December 8, 2021, all federal government contractors must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the guidance, contractors are required to obtain documentation on every employee’s vaccination status. Meanwhile, private sector employers with 100 or more employees will more than likely be required to uphold the same standard. 

On the last day of ASSP’s in-person show in Austin, Jim Frederick, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, spoke to attendees on COVID-19 and OSHA’s current priorities.