What Restaurants Need to Know About the Proposed OSHA Mandate

3 Min Read By Christine Green

Leaders from various industries can agree that the proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate has put them in a difficult and confusing place with employees. Questions around the validity of the mandate and whether to fully enforce or simply encourage vaccination continue to loom. The restaurant industry is uniquely affected by this mandate as industry leaders navigate next steps to support employees amid an increasing labor shortage.

What Is the Proposed OSHA Mandate?On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, President Joe Biden and his administration announced that it would be directing OSHA to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that would mandate businesses, including restaurants, with 100 or more employees to require employees to either vaccinate or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing. Businesses refusing to comply with the mandate could face up to $14,000 in fines and possibly more for willful violations.

The proposed mandate has not yet been released by OSHA; therefore, much remains to be…