Texas lawmakers consider stricter safety rules for chemical tanks
In the wake of recent fires and leaks at above-ground chemical storage tanks in Texas, two bills in the state legislature would task the state’s environmental agency with creating more stringent rules on structural integrity of such tanks at chemical plants, refineries, electric power plants or other large storage facilities in areas prone to flooding, storm surges and hurricanes. KRGV
Indiana grain solo collapse kills man
A 29-year-old Indiana man died December 30 after a grain silo collapsed on a private farm in Morgan County. Officials say he pulled his semi tractor-trailer up to an overhead grain bin and stepped out of the truck when the silo collapsed releasing a load of corn onto the vehicle, pinning him between the truck and the silo. IOSHA is investigating. WBIW
Arizona employees file hundreds of COVID-19 complaints; no citations result
As Arizona battles among the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in the country, many recent complaints to ADOSH report employers not enforcing mask usage or social distancing, according to a spokesman for the Industrial Commission of Arizona, which has received more than 400 complaints in 2020 about workplace safety during the pandemic. The agency reportedly had not cited a single employer through mid-December. Arizona Republic/AZCentral
New Jersey labor officials received 1,200 COVID hazard complaints
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order in November stating employers must meet to keep their employees and customers safe from coronavirus, and tasks the New Jersey Department of Labor and the New Jersey Department of Health with investigating violations. Nearly 1,200 complaints have been filed with the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development against public and private employers for allegedly not following COVID-19 safety measures. NJBiz
Five questions employers should ask before adopting COVID vaccine policy
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in mid-December all but confirmed employers may require proof employees have a received a COVID-19 vaccination without violating non-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, stating that such mandates are not ADA-defined medical exams in and of themselves. However, the EEOC did not outright sign off on employer’s vaccines mandates altogether. Here, several members of the employment law community discuss the guidance. HR Dive
Little action taken against armored truck company after employee deaths: Report
Armored car companies largely slip between gaps in the U.S. regulatory system. Johnathon Lue was one of 22 people to die in crashes involving Garda armored trucks since 2008; six in the last two years, and three since the Tampa Bay Times published an investigation in March. Tampa Bay Times