GFVGA Responds to Latest Announcement
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that businesses that are non-compliant with its vaccination mandate will be fined starting Jan. 10, 2022.
The announcement comes on the heels of a federal appeals court ruling that overruled a previous stay that had paused the mandate nationwide. The rule, initially published Nov. 4, applies to businesses with more than 100 employees and mandates that all employees be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
“To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS. To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for non-compliance with any requirements of the ETS before Jan. 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before Feb. 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard. OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance,” OSHA reports on its website.
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) responded to the announcement with a message to its members:
“Further court challenges are to be expected, but the time for members with 100 employees or more to act is now. GFVGA will continue to work with our strategic partners to provide updated information on the policy and urges members to utilize the resources to guide you through this mandate.