As COVID-19 vaccination rates have started to decrease, the National Safety Council says employers can – and should – play a major role in getting more shots into arms.
The NSC says it’s time for employers to lead U.S. vaccination efforts.
The safety organization says vaccination is the best route to a safe and productive work environment, free from masks and social distancing.
NSC CEO Lorraine Martin says, when some people in a workplace are vaccinated and some aren’t, it creates more complexity in planning a safe transition back to a physical workspace that includes more than just essential workers.
“It’s clear employers can play a direct role in helping to encourage vaccine uptake, especially if they deploy policies and approaches that are backed by public health research,” Martin said.
NSC suggests employers can encourage employees to get vaccinated by:
- providing paid time off for immunization and recovery
- setting up on-site vaccination clinics
- helping with transportation to get vaccinations, and
- supporting the vaccination effort using peer-to-peer promotion.
The NSC has also updated its SAFER Framework to account for more workers returning to a traditional work environment.
SAFER provides the latest guidance for ventilation, vaccine policies, mental health, remote work and flexible schedules.
