ACD Press Release

Arlington, VA – National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer issued the following statement welcoming today’s Supreme Court ruling blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).

“NACD members place the highest priority on their employees’ safety and have taken drastic steps throughout the pandemic to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. But the Vaccine and Testing ETS issued by OSHA last fall would have placed an undue financial burden on NACD members who are already struggling with worker shortages and the supply chain crisis.

Businesses have been significantly impacted by the effects of the pandemic and are working hard to retain their workforce amid ongoing staffing shortages. This rule would have only exacerbated this problem.

Furthermore, while the initial ETS applied only to employers with 100 or more employees, OSHA’s request for comments suggested that they were looking to expand the ETS to smaller businesses in the future. Small businesses – including many NACD members – would have faced an even greater financial and regulatory burden in complying with this ETS.

NACD welcomes this decision by the Supreme Court that allows businesses to make the best decisions for the safety of their workers and the continuity of their operations.”