The Mine Safety and Health Administration said yesterday that existing mine worker protections are strong enough that the agency won’t require COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing.
President Biden announced earlier this month that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a separate Labor Department bureau, was developing an emergency rule that would force employers with 100 or more employees to establish vaccine mandates or alternative weekly testing requirements.
But that emergency temporary standard (ETS) doesn’t apply to MSHA or any mining operations, said Jeannette Galanis, the agency’s deputy assistant secretary, in a conference call yesterday.