Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Political pressure is heating up for the Biden administration to make changes to achieve climate change goals through regulatory action. Unfortunately for President Joe Biden, his Build Back Better (BBB) bill, the centerpiece for his domestic policy plan, is in trouble after Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he would not vote for the bill in […]
On January 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments concerning the COVID-19 vaccine-or-test emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued in November by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Petitioners, which include business groups and several states, want a federal injunction to block OSHA from implementing and enforcing the emergency rule. OSHA earlier announced plans […]
The New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) issued a proposed regulation, authorized by the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (NY HERO Act), requiring private sector employers with 10 or more employees to establish joint employee-employer safety committees. The HERO Act, signed into law May 5, 2021, authorized the NYS DOL to […]
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved publication of proposed changes to compliance history reporting for regulated entities on December 15, 2021. The agency proposes adding a new section (§60.4) to Chapter 60 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), which would “provide a process for the executive director to designate a site’s compliance history […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to prevent workplace violence. In an increasingly dangerous world, the need for providing a safe workplace is even more important than in the past, whether that workplace is a healthcare […]
In this brief survey, we are taking a look at how organizations perceive of ESG and sustainability, where they stand on implementing these efforts, and what their strategy is for 2022 and beyond. ESG reporting and sustainability have moved from catchy buzzwords and “nice to have” elements of an organization’s portfolio to become business requirements. […]
The EPA released a draft revised risk evaluation for the cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD) in December 2021. HBCD is primarily used as a flame retardant in building materials like insulation, solder paste, recycled plastics, and automobile replacement parts. “The final risk evaluation for HBCD found unreasonable risks to the environment for 6 out of […]
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) began 2022 with new responsibilities and enhanced safety and health enforcement authority. A new state law regarding the use of productivity quotas at warehouse distribution centers requires Cal/OSHA to inform the state’s labor commissioner whenever an employer or a site has an annual employee injury rate […]
A federal appeals court lifted a judicial stay on the emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employee COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing, and the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments January 7, 2022, about staying or striking down the rule. Will you be ready if the Supreme Court leaves the rule in place? The Occupational Safety […]
On December 20, 2021, the EPA announced it will utilize $1 billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to begin clearing the backlog of 49 Superfund sites and continue cleanup of other Superfund sites across the United States. Superfund Defined In 1980, Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), more commonly known […]