EEOC Clarifies Allowable COVID 19 Testing For Employees
Below is an article written by my colleague, Ralph R. Smith, Esq., Co-Chair of our firm’s Labor & Employment Group. If you wish to view additional articles and/or be kept up-to-date with labor & employment issues, visit our HR Resource blog by clicking here.
Over the last several months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has continued to refine its past issued Guidances on what employers can do to safeguard employees from COVID-19 workplace exposure. One such measure that employers can utilize is mandating that all employees be tested for COVID-19. But previously the EEOC never said what type of testing can be done. The EEOC has recently clarified precisely what kind of testing employers can now require of its employees.
As many know, there are now currently two types of available tests that can be utilized to detect COVID-19 exposure. The first is a diagnostic test that determines whether someone has the coronavirus at the time of the testing. The second kind is an antibody test that determines whether the individual from past exposure to coronavirus has developed any protective antibodies to the virus. When the EEOC announced its earlier Guidance that employee COVID-19 testing was permissible, employers thought that they had the option to require either type (or both) kinds of testing. That has changed with the EEOC’s latest Guidance.
Now, the only kind of testing allowable is diagnostic to determine whether the individual at the time of the testing has contracted COVID-19. Antibody testing is not allowed-why? The EEOC’s rationale for prohibiting such testing flows from recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) which now states that antibody testing should not be used to return persons to the workplace. Deferring to the CDC’s conclusion about the use of antibody tests for returning employees, the EEOC Guidance now has determined that it is not an appropriate medical test that meets the job relatedness requirement for allowable examinations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As the EEOC’s recent modification to its Guidance shows, we are dealing with an ever evolving situation that could change literally overnight. Thus, employers must continue to stay on top of all developments on what can and cannot be done as many states continue their phased economic re-openings.
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