Idaho man sentenced after illegal tank repair that led to 2018 explosion

The 65-year-old owner of an Idaho tank trailer testing and repair company recently was sentenced to a month in federal prison and a $15,000 fine for lying to Fed-OSHA, and for making an illegal, uncertified repair to a cargo tank in violation of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act. Bulk Transporter

The explosive problem of killer dust

Between 1980 and 2005, 281 combustible dust explosions led to the deaths of 119 industrial employees and injuring of more than 700 others. In the years since, similar disasters have caused numerous additional fatalities. Such tragedies may have been “readily preventable” if workplaces adopted certain engineering controls, ventilation systems, and training protocols, but Fed-OSHA has retreated from setting specific regulations for combustible dust hazards, citing resource constraints. Regulatory Review

Federal judge to reconsider Florida’s challenge to prevent healthcare employee vaccine mandate

A federal judge has decided to take a second look at Florida’s request for an injunction against the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for healthcare employees, which applies to hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare settings that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Under the rule, healthcare employees must to receive at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by December 6 and be fully vaccinated by January 4. Capitolist

New Tennessee law restricts workplace vaccine requirements

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently signed sweeping new COVID-19 legislation into law to counteract the federal mandate-or-test rule. The new law took immediate effect when he signed it, restricting employers’ and businesses’ ability to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination and take adverse actions against employees for refusing to show proof COVID-19 vaccination. SHRM