Just as healthcare workers are required to receive the flu shot, it is within contractors’ rights to require workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Two lawyers from a prominent workforce law firm told the Associated General Contractors of America that contractors can legally require workers to get vaccinated to keep the workplace safe, reports Construction Dive. Both lawyers also suggested that contractors set up vaccinations during work hours on jobsites in order to garner the highest participation. These moves would be to not only maintain the safety of workers, but to ensure that jobs continue to move forward and stay on schedule.
“We do have a right to be aggressive, to keep the job flowing,” Brannen said. “We are a critical industry and we need to communicate that to our employees, as an explanation of why we expect you to take a vaccination when we make it available.”
Protect the workforce
The attorneys’ recommendations during the AGC webinar, which was attended by more than 900 participants, came on the eve of a scheduled meeting in Washington Thursday, which is the next step toward emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. The AGC webinar’s initial goal was determining whether contractors can make it a job requirement for workers to get the vaccine.
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