It’s really not a difficult concept, but it’s enough to make some virtue-signaling corporations rethink the wisdom of their decision to mandate vaccinations:
On April 20, OSHA released the new guidance in the frequently asked questions section of its website for COVID-19 safety compliance.
The question asks whether an employer should record adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination if the employer requires the vaccine. OSHA states that if a vaccine is required, then any adverse reaction is considered work-related and therefore it must be recorded.
In response, several large contractors said they have changed or will change their vaccination policy to only recommend—not require—a vaccine.
“We, sadly, had to back off our (employee vaccination) mandate because OSHA did something I don’t understand at all,” said Bob Clark, founder and executive chairman of Clayco in a recent ENR Critical Path podcast. “I side with OSHA frequently, we’re in its VIP program, but on this they’re just wrong. It’s a terrible decision they’ve made and I think it’ll be overturned.”
Clark said Clayco, which participated in crafting the initial Centers for Disease Control guidance on construction site safety during the pandemic, would be communicating with OSHA through members of congress to seek changes to the guidance. A spokeswoman for OSHA did not immediately return messages asking for clarification of the new guidance. Construction industry groups universally panned the guidance and said it would hurt their efforts to encourage employees to get vaccinated.
The decision won’t be overturned. Because if you force something on your employees on the basis of them working for you, and then it goes wrong somehow, the problem is quite obviously “work-related”.