Top oilfield services firm Schlumberger is asking US employees to disclose their COVID-19 vaccine status and said more customers are mandating vaccinations as a condition for working on their job sites, the company said on 27 August.
Oil and gas companies have begun ordering certain employees and new hires get vaccinated as Delta variant infections and hospitalizations rise. The Food and Drug Administration this week gave full approval to the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, making it easier for companies to require the shot.
"Customers have begun to mandate vaccinated personnel as an eligibility requirement to service their operations," James R. McDonald, president of Schlumberger's Americas land business, said in an email sent to employees and seen by Reuters. Several offshore operators have already enforced the mandate, he said.
As an oilfield service provider, Schlumberger's employees are often working on job sites operated and run by other oil and gas companies.
"All employees and contractors will need to disclose their vaccination status through a protocol that protects this information under US regulatory guidelines," the email also said.
Schlumberger in a statement said employees have an option to decline to disclose if they wish.