Clear communication helps mitigate workplace risks

Employers that mandate or encourage COVID-19 vaccinations for their workforce need to be sure they are communicating their policies with their employees, protecting those who are unvaccinated and have a process in place for tracking inoculations, experts say. 

“Obviously, not everyone is going to be willing (or able) to take the vaccination,” said Sean Salvas, Phoenix-based senior market strategy lead for environment, health and safety at Origami Risk LLC. 

Companies need to consider how they will track who has been fully vaccinated, who only received one dose and who may have signed a waiver opting out of the vaccine for health or religious reasons, he said. They also need to keep tabs on positive COVID-19 cases reported by workers for state and local tracing purposes, particularly in states with stringent reporting requirements such as California, New Mexico and Virginia, he said. 

For employers that want to encourage, but not require, employees to get vaccinated, effective communication that allows workers to make a clear, scientific choice is crucial, said Deborah Roy, Falmouth, Maine-based president of SafeTech Consultants Inc. and president-elect of the American Society of Safety Professionals. 

“I think it’s a better approach than mandating it,” she said. 

“Employers are going to have to really put a lot of effort into encouragement and education efforts,” said Nicole Stockey, a partner with K&L Gates LLP in Pittsburgh.

Companies also need to make sure they’re maintaining a safe workplace for those who are unvaccinated and continue to follow guidance from OSHA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as guidance from their state health departments, said Carin Burford, Birmingham, Alabama-based shareholder with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart P.C.

She also suggests employers print out hard copies of the ever-changing guidance. 

“Being able to prove that you followed the guidance, especially in a changing environment like this, a very fluid situation, is important.”