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Adam Quertermous serves as an EHS director at Skanska, one of the largest construction and development companies in the U.S. In his role, he works alongside a host of project stakeholders, including contractors, subcontractors, executives, unions, vendors, and more, so he knows the value of working as a team. Quertermous joined Skanska about 16 years […]
The EPA recently announced it finalized stronger requirements for identifying and cleaning up lead paint dust in pre-1978 homes and childcare facilities. “There is no safe level of lead exposure, particularly for children. In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain,” states an EPA news […]
On November 29, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) extended the deadline for public comment on its heat illness prevention proposal (89 Fed. Reg. 94631). Comments are now due January 14, 2025. The agency published its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings on […]
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Formaldehyde Panel sent a detailed letter, dated November 4, 2024, to the EPA to bring its attention to “the substantial comments submitted to the EPA from a diverse group of stakeholders and peer reviewers raising major issues with the EPA’s 2024 draft formaldehyde risk assessment.” The ACC alleges the Biden […]
A congressional delegation from San Diego in October requested EPA support to assist the San Diego County Air Pollution District with air monitoring for neighborhoods near the Mexico border. “In early September, high levels of noxious gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide were measured by scientific teams in the river valley and noticed […]
A Mississippi steel pipe manufacturer has reached a settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to resolve citations and penalties involving one worker’s death and another’s amputation injuries, the agency announced November 22. On January 19, two employees of Jindal Tubular USA LLC in Bay Saint Louis were setting up a site […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to force the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) subpoenas, OSHA announced November 21. The agency is conducting a whistleblower investigation at the USPS’s New Salem, Pennsylvania, facility. OSHA opened an […]
On November 20, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into an October 10 fatal release of hydrogen sulfide gas at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Texas that killed two workers and injured 13 others. During maintenance activities at the refinery, approximately 27,000 pounds of toxic […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the most dangerous construction safety hazards. Are you familiar with the construction industry’s deadliest safety hazards? The “fatal four” or “focus four” safety hazards are caught-in/-between hazards, electrocution, falls, and struck-by […]
Worker fatigue can lead to serious problems on the job, including drowsy driving. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides resources to help employers reduce the risk of fatigue-related crashes and injuries. The Song of the Week is also doing its part with a Van Halen classic, 1981’s “Unchained,” that is guaranteed […]