OSHA’s Vaccine Mandate and COVID-19 Testing: A Letter from Our CEO

Scott Kuethen

November 9, 2021

Navigating this season of COVID-19 in the workplace has been challenging for all of us. We’re very grateful for your business and the opportunity to serve you by providing quality contract staffing services. Now that OSHA has released their Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), AKA, President Biden’s Vaccine Mandate, companies of 100 or more employees are required by Federal law to comply. This will take effect January 4, 2022.  At Amtec, we are fully committed to complying with the Vaccination mandate and conforming to our customer’s worksite ETS implementation protocol. We all want a safe workplace for our employees.

On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released their Emergency Temporary Standard to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace.  Within days of the ETS, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (federal appeals court) issued a stay pending legal review of the case. 

OSHA’s rule was drafted in response to President Biden’s September 9 request that OSHA require companies with 100 or more employees to mandate coronavirus vaccinations or weekly testing. Regardless of the federal court stay, now that the details of the ETS have been released, many organizations are creating implementation plans.  Employers that do not comply with the vaccine mandate (Vaccine or weekly testing) requirement face fines of up to $14,000 per violation. According to the White House, the rule will impact more than 80 million workers.

As a provider of contract workers, Amtec, will conform to our customers’ policies, practices and implementation of the OSHA ETS vaccination mandate. In anticipation of the need for COVID-19 testing services, Amtec has partnered with an early provider of Federally approved vaccination and COVID-19 Testing Systems. While the OSHA mandate places the burden for testing on the employee, the burden for compliance remains with the company. The testing and data collection platform is cost-effective, efficient, and is virtually proctored via a video waiting room. This minimizes time away from work and cost while ensuring full government compliance. If you are in need of a corporate testing solution you can reach out to your Amtec associate or contact us.

For California companies, the cost of testing will be minimal due to legislation requiring payment for testing and vaccination to come from insurers. In other states, where workers are uninsured, the CARES act pays for the cost of testing.   

In addition to the current federal appeals court stay, industry experts expect additional challenges to the OSHA ETS Vaccine mandate. We will keep a watchful eye on these developments and bring these to you as they unfold. Thank you again for your business and the opportunity you give us to serve you. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly by phone or email. 

Best regards,
Scott Kuethen, CEO