Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plans to issue proposals for new infectious disease exposure, communication tower safety, and tree care industry standards, according to a Department of Labor (DOL) notice published July 30 (86 FR 41242). OSHA also plans rulemaking action in the coming year to address emergency response safety, process safety management […]
While building and maintaining a forward-looking EHS compliance assurance program is vital for ensuring your organization is mitigating its risks of violations and fines, it’s also important to proactively provide safety training to employees. Not only does safety training protect the workers’ health and well-being, it also can improve your company’s bottom line.
With parts of the country suffering record-breaking temperatures this summer, employers know they need to be on guard against heat dangers for both indoor and outdoor workers. At some point, however, those precautions may be formalized into a new standard from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Currently, OSHA deals with heat dangers […]
Back to Basics is a new weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine falls in construction and how to prevent them. Falls are a major safety issue in any industry, but especially in construction, where they are the leading cause of death. According […]
On July 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) called for stakeholder input on updating its mechanical power press standard (29 CFR §1910.217). The OSHA standard, originally issued in 1971, was based on the 1971 edition of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) industry consensus standard for mechanical power presses (ANSI B11.1), which has […]
On July 27, AIHA (formerly the American Industrial Hygiene Association) revealed concerns about the federal COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) in a 13-page letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). AIHA urged the agency to closely examine and immediately revise the emergency rule’s provisions dealing with ventilation, physical barriers, and transmission by inhalation […]
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in substantial or high-transmission areas. This is an about turn from the agency’s May guidance, which said it was safe for fully vaccinated people to […]
For some people, doing the same thing over and over is insanity. For Laynnea Myles, however, repetition is the essence of learning. After more than 17 years in the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) industry, Laynnea’s passion for EHS permeates her very being. It is no coincidence either that her life mantra, “Safety 1st, Safety […]
While there is still no federal standard on prevention of worker exposure to extreme heat, a bill is currently sitting in Congress that hopes to establish such a standard. In addition, there are federal recommendations and guidance that can prove useful for employers looking to protect workers from heat illness. The Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness […]
On July 23, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it is seeking nearly $1 million in penalties from four employers at a poultry processing facility where six OS workers died from nitrogen exposure caused by a malfunctioning freezer. After a shift began on January 28 at a Gainesville, Georgia, poultry processing facility, a […]