Long-Term Mask Mandate?

March 3, 2023

Mask enforcement could be long-term

  • OSHA could impose a mask mandate in healthcare settings permanently if the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs approves its final rule submitted in December.
  • The submission cannot be reviewed publicly because internal deliberations are ongoing, and it has not yet been finalized, according to an OSHA spokesman.
  • The measure is being supported by national groups, such as National Nurses United.
  • There has also been a backlash to the proposal because of the uncertainty about the effectiveness of masks.
    Read more

Movie producers fined $100,000

  • The producers of “Rust” agreed to pay a reduced penalty of $100,000 to resolve the OSHA case that arose from the shooting death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
  • Under the settlement, the state agency agreed to the reduced penalty and dropped its claim that the production committed a willful violation of safety rules.
  • The production will instead accept a serious citation and the producers are also not required to admit civil liability.
  • The $100,000 penalty is the largest the state has imposed since 2010.
    Read more

OSHA signs alliance for St. Louis project

  • OSHA signed an alliance with McCarthy Building Cos. to provide a safe work site during phase 3 construction of the BJC Healthcare Campus Renewal Project in downtown St. Louis.
  • The alliance includes a partnership with the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, Missouri & Kansas Laborers’ District Council, and Building and Construction Trades Council.
  • The project is a long-term initiative to transform Washington University Medical Center through new construction and renovations.
  • The campus includes Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and Washington University School of Medicine.
    Read more

Quarry worker killed in Texas

  • OSHA opened an investigation after a worker died in a quarry near Sullivan City, Texas.
  • Local agencies were dispatched to the area of U.S. Expressway 83 in response to an operator getting trapped in an excavator that was in a sedimentary pond.
  • The body of the unidentified operator in his 40s was pulled out of the pond.
  • Any information gathered by investigators will be used by OSHA in their federal investigation.
    Read more