Swift County drafts OSHA vaccination policy

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
While there is a chance it won’t have to implement a vaccination policy, Swift County is positioning itself to be ready should a mandate be required.
This past November, the Biden Administration set Jan. 4 as the deadline for companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing for workers not vaccinated. The mandate would apply to local governments as well. It would be implemented through the Federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA.)
However, multiple states appealed the federal government’s authority to mandate vaccinations. District courts and the Supreme Court put a hold on the order as the details of litigation are weighed.
“However, if this continues to move forward, this OSHA emergency temporary standard will apply to Swift County employees,” Administrator Kelsey Baker told the county board of commissioners at their Dec. 7 meeting.
“Minnesota is an OSHA-approved state plan, which means it follows MNOSHA rules, which rules must be as effective as federal OSHA in enforcing safe and healthful workplaces,” she stated.
The mandatory vaccination policy would apply to all Swift County employees, except those who don’t report to a workplace where coworkers or customers are present. It would also exclude those employees who work from home and those who work exclusively outdoors.
The county policy committee met the first week of December and extensively reviewed the possible mandate, then drafted a proposed policy.
 
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