Are You Applying Best Practices for Engineered Nanomaterials?
Does your company deal with engineered nanomaterials (ENM)? If so, the federal government wants to know your occupational safety and health practices.
Archives
Exemptions and Timeline for EPA’s Nano Reporting Rule
Yesterday we looked at the reporting requirements and applicability of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule establishing reporting and recordkeeping requirements for nanomaterials. Today we will review the exemptions and the compliance timeline for the nanomaterials reporting rule.
Spotlight on Safety Enforcement
OSHA isn’t publicizing its enforcement efforts as much as it did under the Obama administration, but that doesn’t mean employers aren’t being cited and fined. Today and tomorrow, we’re taking a look at 21 recent enforcement cases that all led to penalties of over $40,000.
Are You Affected by EPA’s Nanomaterials Reporting Rule?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule establishing reporting and recordkeeping requirements for nanomaterials is effective. Today we will look at the reporting requirements and who must report. Tomorrow we will review the exemptions and the compliance timeline for the nanomaterials reporting rule.
Biological Safety Cabinets Protect Workers Against Biological Hazards
Laboratory workers who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals can protect themselves by isolating those chemicals inside a chemical fume hood. Workers exposed to biological agents must also take steps to isolate themselves from infectious hazards with a slightly different type of protective enclosure: a biological safety cabinet (BSC).
EPA’s 2015 HFC Rule Nullified by D.C. Circuit
In a 2-to-1 opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that the EPA veered outside its statutory authority when it issued a rule in 2015 that ordered manufacturers to stop using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in their products because the substances contributed to climate change. Accordingly, the court remanded that part of the […]
Pruitt: New Chemical Backlog Is Gone
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s “core statutory mission” includes implementing the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and particularly completing new chemical reviews more quickly. Upon taking charge of the Agency, one of Pruitt’s initial challenges was reducing a backlog of 600 new chemicals stuck in the EPA review process. Now, 6 months […]
Fume Hoods Protect Workers Against Chemical Hazards
Laboratories are a unique environment when it comes to chemical hazards. Laboratory workers use a broad variety of chemicals, in relatively small quantities, and in combinations and bench-scale procedures that may be unlike anything found in a larger-scale operation. But that doesn’t mean that their chemical exposures are insignificant. In fact, lab workers may be […]
EPA Seeks Elimination of $28 Million Monitoring Requirement
A requirement to place wireless continuous monitors on containers at off-site waste and recovery operations (OSWROs) to detect leaks from pressure relief devices (PRDs) would be eliminated under an EPA proposal (August 7, 2017, FR).
CDC Calls Diabetes a ‘Growing Health Problem’
A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that 9.4 percent of the population is living with diabetes. Another 84 million have prediabetes, a condition that often leads to type 2 diabetes within 5 years if not treated. The CDC says the rate of new cases remains steady, but […]