The proposed mandate, according to an earlier announcement by the Biden administration, would apply to businesses with 100 or more employees. It would be implemented under a federal rule making known as an emergency temporary standard and affect roughly 80 million workers nationwide, according to Biden administration estimates, or more than half the total U.S. workforce.
The Labor Department said its Occupational Safety and Health Administration submitted the initial text of the proposed standard to the White House for approval, signaling its final release could soon follow. The details could change during the White House review.