Welcome to Issue #18 of The Compliance Brief. Every Tuesday I break down the HR and labor law updates that actually matter to small businesses — in plain English, no legal jargon.

A Wisconsin Manufacturer's Kettle Incidents Are a Warning for Every Small Employer

OSHA has cited a Wisconsin food manufacturer following two industrial-kettle incidents that resulted in three deaths and two serious injuries. The citations covered pressure and thermal-burn hazards, fall hazards, and failures related to permit-required confined spaces where employees were working.

It's a sobering reminder that safety compliance isn't just paperwork — it's the difference between routine operations and tragedy. And the failures cited here are common ones: equipment-specific lockout/tagout procedures that lapse, pressure systems that go too long between maintenance checks, and confined-space evaluations that get skipped when work feels routine.

You don't need an industrial kettle to have this exposure. Any equipment involving pressure, heat, or enclosed spaces — walk-in coolers, boilers, mixing tanks — carries the same underlying risks if procedures aren't current.

Action step: If your business uses pressure equipment, confined spaces, or high-hazard machinery, review your lockout/tagout procedures, fall protection, and confined-space evaluations now — and confirm training records are current, not just on file.

1. EEOC Settlement Signals Accommodation Duties Extend to Digital Tools

Pearson Education agreed to pay $150,000 to settle an EEOC disability discrimination case involving visually impaired employees' access to workplace platforms. It's a useful reminder that the accommodation process isn't limited to physical workspace — it can cover HR portals, training systems, scheduling tools, and any other digital system employees rely on to do their jobs.

2. New Jersey Lowers the Family Leave Act Threshold

New Jersey's Family Leave Act now covers employers with 15 or more employees, down from 30. If you have New Jersey staff and are in that range, this may be the first time the law applies to you — worth updating leave policies and manager training accordingly.

3. Missouri Expands Military Leave Protections

Starting August 28, Missouri's amended military leave law extends USERRA-like reemployment protections to employees serving in the National Guard — including the National Guard of other states. If you have Missouri employees with Guard service, update your leave and reinstatement procedures before the deadline.

✅ Review lockout/tagout, pressure-system maintenance, and confined-space procedures for any high-hazard equipment

✅ Confirm your accommodation process covers digital tools, not just physical workspace

✅ If you have 15+ New Jersey employees, check whether Family Leave Act obligations now apply

✅ Update Missouri leave and reinstatement procedures ahead of the August 28 deadline

OSHA's guidance on permit-required confined spaces covers evaluation, entry procedures, and training requirements: osha.gov

That's it for this week. Short, actionable, no fluff.

If this was useful, forward it to another small business owner who could use it.

See you next Tuesday.

The Compliance Brief thecompliancebriefhq.com

This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.