保护工人免受歧视的联邦政府机构本周发布了新的指导方针，以帮助告知美国人他们受到的法律保护更多的雇主要求他们回来办公室或其他工作场所。

来自平等机会就业委员会说雇主可以依法要求新冠肺炎(新型冠状病毒肺炎)疫苗重新进入实际工作场所，只要他们按照要求为因医疗原因或宗教原因而无法接种疫苗的员工找到替代安排。

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images，FILE

在酒吧麦克斯的橱窗里有一块牌子，上面写着:“我们目前正在为顾客提供疫苗接种证明。”

EEOC说，雇主应该记住，因为不是每个人都有平等的机会获得疫苗，一些个人或团体可能更难遵守疫苗接种要求。

雇主也可以提供激励措施，鼓励员工自愿确认其疫苗接种状态，但这些措施应该是可选的，雇主不应强迫员工分享其医疗信息。与雇主共享的任何医疗信息，包括疫苗接种记录，都必须保密。

联邦法律还规定，如果员工因医疗问题或宗教异议而无法接种疫苗，他们有权获得合理的便利。EEOC提醒员工，他们在法律上受到保护，免受反亚裔偏见等骚扰，或者如果他们认为自己因来自新冠肺炎的高风险而不被允许工作。

夏羽·马和/路透社

一名医务工作者在圣纳兹的一个疫苗接种中心注射一剂新冠肺炎疫苗

根据职业安全与健康管理局的规定，雇主必须提供一个安全的工作场所，这包括评估暴露于新冠肺炎的风险，并制定一项保护员工的计划，其中可能包括要求注射疫苗，提供口罩等防护设备，以及对工作场所设置容量限制。

职业安全与健康管理局还没有发布强制性规则具体到新冠肺炎的保护措施，但仍然可以举出机构发现未能充分保护员工免受病毒感染的雇主。

What to know if your employer requires vaccinations: federal legal protections

The federal government agency that protects workers from discrimination issued new guidance this week to help inform Americans of their legal protections asmore employers ask them to come backto the office or other workplaces.

A new guidance document from theEqual Opportunity Employment Commissionsaidemployers can legally requireCOVID-19vaccinesto re-enter a physical workplace as long as they follow requirements to find alternative arrangements for employees unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons or because they have religious objections.

The EEOC said employers should keep in mind that, because not everyone has equal access to vaccines, some individuals or groups could have a harder time complying with a vaccination requirement.

Employers are also allowed to offer incentives for employees to voluntarily confirm their vaccination status but those should be optional and employers should not pressure employees into sharing their medical information. Any medical information shared with the employer, including vaccination records, must be kept confidential.

Federal law also says employees have a right to reasonable accommodation if they can't get the vaccine due to medical concerns or religious objections, and EEOC reminds employees they are legally protected from harassment such as anti-Asian bias or if they feel they are not being allowed to work because they are high risk from COVID-19.

Employers are required to provide a safe workplace, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which includes assessing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and developing a plan to protect employees which could include requiring the vaccine, providing protective equipment like masks, and setting capacity limits on the workplace.

OSHA has not yet issued anenforceable rulespecific to COVID-19 protections but can still cite employers who the agency finds failed to adequately protect employees from exposure to the virus.