President Joe Biden on Thursday announced workers at many private companies have until Jan. 4 to get vaccinated against Covid under federal workplace safety rules – but Oregon workers won’t be affected just yet.
That’s because Oregon is one of 22 states with its own workplace safety agency, Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will craft its own rule on vaccine mandates.
Aaron Corvin, spokesperson for Oregon OSHA, said the agency has 30 days after the federal rule is published to craft guidance for workplaces in Oregon. Federal regulations require Oregon adopt a rule that is “at least as effective” at protecting workers.
“However, that does not mean our rule needs to be identical to the federal one,” Corvin said in an email. The agency’s 30-day clock to issue a rule begins Friday.
The federal regulation applies to private businesses with 100 or more employees and mandates those employers to require vaccination against Covid or regular testing for the virus.
Corvin said it’s too early to say what Oregon’s rule might look like, but any rule mandating vaccination or testing would apply to both public and private employers. That means city and county governments would likely have to mandate vaccination or testing, not just private businesses.
-Rachel Alexander
