Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination: Is it legal and is it right for your workplace?

By all accounts, the availability of a vaccine for COVID-19 is a matter of when, not if. According to the World Health Organization, as of August 25, 2020, 173 potential vaccines are currently being developed in labs across the world, 31 of which have advanced to clinical stage testing on humans.  Drug manufacturers estimate that a vaccine will be ready and approved for general use by the end of this year or early 2021.

Naturally, employers are beginning to ask the question: “Can we require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19?’  In general, the answer is yes, according to the National Law Report.

Employers may implement mandatory vaccination programs, subject to limited exemptions. Although the issue is only now coming to the forefront of our national conscience, mandatory vaccinations in the workplace are not new, and are particularly prevalent among healthcare providers. Some variability exists under federal law and among federal agencies, but for the most part, mandatory programs are permissible, as long as employers consider religious accommodation requests under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and medical accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Share on Socials!

Related Articles

Related Articles

OSHA: companies can legally impose vaccine requirements

As we get closer and closer to a COVID-19 vaccine, employers are now weighing whether they should make it mandatory for their staff, according to Yahoo ...
Read More

Safety Leaders Respond to Duke University Project on Face Mask Efficacy

Industrial safety leaders urge EHS professionals and workers to go deeper than the headline on reports regarding the efficacy of certain face coverings in limiting spread ...
Read More

Powerful PPE at Work

In the utilities industry, you can’t afford to compromise on safety and with the industry covering so many vastly different sectors, finding the right PPE for ...
Read More