Chevron Corp. has started implementing vaccine requirements to some of its employees and currently assessing if it needs to be mandated throughout its whole workforce.
The compulsory vaccination is mandated to Chevron's expatriate members, employees traveling internationally, and workers on U.S.-flagged ships.
“Chevron is committed to protecting the health of our people, and vaccinations are the strongest safeguard against this virus,” spokesman Braden Reddall said.
Offshore workers in the Gulf of Mexico and some onshore support staff are required to get their COVID-19 vaccinations by Nov. 1, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“As part of our fitness-for-duty safety standard, workers in certain jobs are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” a Chevron spokeswoman said in an email, according to The New York Times. “We will continue to carefully monitor the medical data and follow the guidance of health authorities in order to protect our work force.”
Exceptions for employees based on health or religious reasons will be allowed.
“Chevron will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic developments relative to our facilities, offices and operating locations,” Chevron previously stated. “We will maintain our safeguards, test the workforce as appropriate, manage suspected and confirmed cases as we are made aware, and conduct contact tracing when necessary.”
Due to the rising COVID-19 cases fueled by the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, the company has recently delayed its office return in California and in Texas and may not return earlier than October.
The company is considering the feasibility of vaccine mandates for each of its Chevron business units and possibly push through with requiring approximately its 47,000-member workforce, as the coronavirus has been affecting the oil and gas industry.
On the heels of the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, Chevron was the first major U.S. oil producer to require a vaccine for its employees.