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As we get ready to sign off for a much-needed Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., the Song of the Week selection was obvious: Loverboy’s 1981 hit “Working for the Weekend.” The song was the first single off the Canadian band’s second album, Get Lucky, and 44 years later, it remains the act’s most enduring […]
Research by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has found high levels of bisphenol S (BPS) in receipt paper used by many major retailers, including Ace Hardware, Burger King, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar General, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, and Williams Sonoma. “BPS … is a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of […]
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced May 20 it updated its Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program of workplace inspections. The program directive (CPL 02-01-067), signed on April 8 and effective May 20, replaces a directive issued on February 7, 2023. The process for selecting establishments for inspection uses OSHA Form 300A data from […]
Ahead of summer 2025, in a May 16 announcement, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reminded the state’s employers of its indoor and outdoor heat illness prevention standards. The agency also reminded employers of educational materials, guidance, model programs, and other resources available from the agency, which offers annual training held statewide […]
Several years ago, a hazardous materials manager with the Chicago Fire Department received an urgent call from a chemical manufacturing facility. Contractors had been working on decommissioned chemical processing tanks when something went horribly wrong. One of the contractors had become trapped inside a tank. When emergency responders arrived, they asked for the worker’s name […]
Kerry Schimelfenig is the business development manager at Protective Industrial Products (PIP) and a passionate safety trainer and advocate. He encourages organizations to take a holistic approach to workplace safety, which means embracing everything from policies to technology to help protect workers. Proper training, however, is key. In his role at PIP, he partners with […]
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a group of labor unions representing workers in education, manufacturing, mining, and nursing, and a personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer filed a suit in federal court to reverse the recent reorganization of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the AFL-CIO announced […]
A Marietta, Georgia, stone product manufacturer must pay $120,000 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for failing to administer hearing conservation and respiratory protection programs, the agency announced May 14. The agency cited the same violations during an April 2024 safety and health inspection. Five months after the initial inspection, OSHA cited the […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine Human and Organizational Performance. As organizations strive to improve worker safety, some are taking a different approach that incorporates human factors engineering and organizational psychology. Called Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), the […]
The Environmental Protection Agency recently detailed its plans to deal with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, aka “forever chemicals”) that are contaminating drinking water systems. While some experts question whether enough is being done, the issue has inspired the Song of the Week: “Water and a Seat,” a 2003 song from indie rock veteran Stephen […]