14 Jan 2022
Friday, January 14, 2022
National COSH on Supreme Court Ruling Overturning OSHA Vaccine and Testing Standard
“Workers will pay the price – with their lives – for this wrong-headed decision”
The following statement is from Jessica E. Martinez, MPH, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health
“At a time when the COVID-19 virus is spreading faster than ever, workers will pay the price – with their very lives – for this wrong-headed decision by the Supreme Court. A deeply flawed opinion ignores law and precedent that clearly states OSHA’s authority to protect workers from dangerous conditions.
“It’s good to know that workers in federally-funded health care facilities will still have protections from COVID-19, but we cannot leave other workers defenseless against a deadly virus. OSHA can and should still require employers to meet their legal and moral obligation to provide a workplace safe from known hazards, which certainly includes infectious diseases like COVID-19.
“National COSH and our partners and allies will continue to support workers as they fight for and win crucial safety protections. These may include paid time off for illness, vaccination and recovery; employer-paid personal protective equipment; improved ventilation; social distancing and other measures that make sense in specific workplaces.”
National COSH links the efforts of local worker health and safety coalitions in communities across the United States, advocating for elimination of preventable hazards in the workplace.For more information, please visit nationalcosh.org. Follow us at National Council for Occupational Safety and Health on Facebook, @NationalCOSH on Twitter and @NationalCOSH on Instagram.