Now that the Biden Administration has announced a January 4th date for federal employees to get fully vaccinated, there is a lot of scrambling to implement vaccination screening systems across jobsites and offices.
“Federal executive branch employees must be fully vaccinated, except in limited circumstances where an employee is legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation,” the task force announced Monday. “Agencies must work expeditiously so that their employees are fully vaccinated as quickly as possible and by no later than January 4, 2022.”
The bulletin continued: “President Biden established the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to oversee the development and implementation of agency COVID-19 workplace safety plans across the Federal Government. In his Executive Order on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees and his Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors, President Biden directed the Task Force to issue guidance on implementation of the requirements in those Orders.
Agencies should incorporate these model safety principles into their existing COVID-19 workplace safety plans.
Agencies with onsite contractor employees should address how the protocols below are applied to those individuals to promote Federal workplace safety in the context of COVID-19.”
So what does this new vaccination mandate mean for the future of our workplaces? It could very well require non-governmental entities with less than 100 employees to comply with this new mandate as well. With this in mind, businesses across the nation need to be prepared in case the health screening requirement expands to smaller companies in the future.
With this in mind, we’ve gathered three ways that businesses can prepare for future COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
Establish Procedures for Determining Your Employees’ Vaccination Status
Employers need a vaccination screening process that is organized, confidential, and easy for office and safety managers to implement and maintain. With multiple employees and visitors coming and going from your site, you also need a procedure that is user-friendly and requires little to no training. Keep in mind that many health screening tools can be expensive and difficult to implement into your day-to-day processes, so be sure to do your research before you buy.
Create a Plan for Tracking Test Results
As of now, employees are required to either be vaccinated from COVID-19 or participate in weekly testing. Employers will need a way to track each employee’s negative test results in real-time and the ability to pull up past reports to prove that the employee is complying with the company’s COVID-19 workplace policies.
Prepare for OSHA Inspections
OSHA is permitted to ask for your COVID-19 response plan and training records if they ever receive a complaint or decide to inspect your workplace. You should have a policy in place that is both documented and clearly communicated to your employees. You should also ensure that all management is aware of how to handle an OSHA inspection. Information pertaining to your training and COVID-19 policies can all be tracked in a digital site management tool like Safe Site Check In – offering quick, real-time access to reports and other important data.
Safe Site Check In for Employer Vaccination Mandates
Looking for a digital QR code solution that meets all of your health screening needs? Safe Site Check In (SSCI) is the optimal solution for confidential workplace health and safety compliance. Paperless and affordable, it’s the solution to COVID-19 vaccination mandates every firm needs to adapt to change as workplace requirements evolve. Our back-end data repository makes it easy to validate everyone who was on your site, when they arrived, and for how long.
See how Safe Site Check In can ensure the health and safety of employees by taking advantage of our free trial offer.
David Brian Ward is a CEO and Founder of Safe Site Check In LLC, a digital jobsite management platform launched in 2020 for the Construction industry. With over 40 years of experience in the technology industry, having launched and grown several successful companies. Mr. Ward is a now a SaaS entrepreneur and innovation leader in the Construction industry.