On Tuesday evening, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent its proposed vaccine mandate to the White House for final review.  OSHA’s proposed 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. Based on the President’s request, OSHA will also require covered businesses to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated and to recover from any side effects from vaccination. The details of the proposed rule are not yet public.

The new requirements are expected to take the form of an emergency temporary standard and will undergo an expedited review process before taking effect. The standard will likely not be open to public comment and will take effect once the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completes its review and the final emergency temporary standard is published in the Federal Register.