Skip to content

Oregon OSHA Abandons Vaccine and Testing Standard in Wake of NFIB’s U.S. Supreme Court Victory

Oregon OSHA Abandons Vaccine and Testing Standard in Wake of NFIB’s U.S. Supreme Court Victory

January 18, 2022

Oregon OSHA Abandons Vaccine and Testing Standard in Wake of NFIB’s U.S. Supreme Court Victory

Following on the heels of NFIB’s big U.S. Supreme Court victory halting the federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) vaccine mandate, Oregon’s OSHA announced it would stop enforcement of its vaccination and emergency testing standard.

“On Jan. 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked enforcement of federal OSHA’s Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard. Oregon OSHA will continue to monitor federal OSHA activities and respond as needed. In light of the Supreme Court decision, however, Oregon OSHA will not move forward with adopting the same or similar standard in Oregon,” the agency said on its website.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted NFIB’s stay application in NFIB v. OSHA, halting the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) vaccine mandate, which would have required businesses with 100 or more employees to have employees vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The mandate was scheduled to begin last week. Read NFIB’s news release here. Hear from NFIB Small Business Legal Center’s Karen Harned here.

Bullard Law, one of Oregon’s leading employment law firms, posted this story on its website, So What Can Oregon and Washington Employers Do Now That The Supreme Court Ruled?

NFIB’s victory earned national media attention.

  • NPR reported on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to issue a stay of OSHA’s vaccine mandate: “The National Federation of Independent Business called the decision a welcome relief for companies who are still trying to dig out from under the pandemic.”


  • Legal Center Executive Director Karen Harned is quoted by NBC News: “They sighed a big sigh of relief yesterday. We’re already hearing from members that omicron is impacting them…Employees aren’t coming to work if they’re sick. As a result, that’s made the labor shortage even worse. This will help prevent a pile-on.”


  • Harned is also quoted in Small Business Trends: “As small businesses try to recover after almost two years of significant business disruptions, the last thing they need is a mandate that would cause more business challenges.”


  • “In National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, the Supreme Court stayed implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (‘OSHA’) Emergency Temporary Standard (‘ETS’) which required employers with 100 or more employees to adopt a vaccination or testing requirement for all employees,” reports JD Supra.

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Receive our newsletter and email notification
Knowledge is power. Let us help you stay informed with breaking legislative news, regulatory updates, business tips, and more.

Related Articles

May 22, 2025
NFIB Launches New State-Specific Tools to Highlight Benefits of…
Interactive map and calculator
Read More
Clothes on a rack at a Retail store
May 20, 2025
NFIB Urges Senate Committee to Vote NO on Small Business Mandat…
The bill would create added costs to small businesses already struggling wi…
Read More
May 14, 2025
Rep. Carlton Wings Updates NFIB Members on This Year’s Le…
This year’s session ended on May 5.
Read More
State of Missouri flag blowing in the wind. Part of a series.
May 13, 2025
NFIB Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Senator & Gove…
Sen. Bond was a strong advocate for Missouri’s small businesses
Read More

© 2001 - 2025 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility