Large companies whose workers refuse a COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed to make those employees pay for weekly tests and personal protective equipment under the federal government’s impending workplace safety rule for private-sector employers.
Those details are included in an emergency rule set to be released this week by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to a report by Bloomberg Law. Two sources familiar with the rule said the ability to pass on costs is meant to compel workers to get vaccinated.
Employers, however, will be required to absorb testing and mask costs when a worker qualifies for a vaccine exemption, and companies could also be ordered to pay for testing costs if subject to a union bargaining agreement, according to the report.
Unvaccinated workers will also be required to wear masks while indoors and when in close contact with other coworkers.
“An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that any details of the forthcoming OSHA rule are premature and that the rule will be discussed in detail once publicly available in the Federal Register,” the report said.
President Joe Biden first announced the mandate for all employers with 100 or more workers in early September. The requirement could carry a $14,000 fine per violation and would affect two-thirds of the country’s workforce, according to officials.
The rule is also in addition to a healthcare worker vaccine mandate announced by Biden in early September, as well.
