Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
It’s impossible to avoid at this point, the coronavirus (COVID-19) is on everyone’s mind. Sports leagues around the world have shut down, companies are going fully remote, and colleges have switched to being exclusively online.
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the EPA is required to conduct biological evaluations (BEs) of pesticides to determine their effects on endangered and threatened species (listed species) and their critical habitats. The Agency has now issued a nonregulatory method for conducting BEs.
On March 19, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) expanded its Hours of Service exemptions for commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting personnel and supplies necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 3 office announced it would extend enforcement of a national emphasis program (NEP) in three states and the District of Columbia to reduce or eliminate workers’ respirable silica exposures. Emphasis program inspections begin after May 3 in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a renewed focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus—referred to as 2019-nCOV or SARS-CoV-2—first identified in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019.
Following a second look at its authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the EPA has issued a final rule rescinding the leak-repair requirements of a 2016 rule the Obama EPA issued for refrigerants used to replace Class I or II ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is currently the top concern for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals. As of this writing (8:45 a.m. on March 19, 2020), Johns Hopkins University & Medicine’s Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 9,415 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 150 deaths in the United States alone, with over 220,000 confirmed cases […]
On March 14, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued temporary guidance regarding enforcement of annual respirator fit-testing requirements under the respiratory protection standard. The agency directed its field offices to exercise discretion to not cite an employer for violations of the annual fit testing requirement if the employer meets certain conditions.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) generating many questions, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) will be hosting a free coronavirus question-and-answer session today, March 18, for occupational safety and health professionals to learn more about responding to the pandemic. While the live Q&A has already reached capacity, it will be recorded and […]
On March 13, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief supplies in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.