Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The summer heat is in full swing and so are ramped-up compliance efforts from OSHA. This alert provides you with six quick tips to help avoid and minimize any “heat” from OSHA this summer. 1. Make sure your business is fully aware of the new Hazard Communication Standard. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard is already one of […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to recognize the warning signs of workplace violence. Workplace violence has been a major concern for businesses for years now, but it’s especially topical as some states begin passing legislation requiring […]
Hearing conservation is an important part of workplace safety to protect employees from noise-induced hearing loss. This week, EHS Daily Advisor wrote about the importance of having a hearing conservation program in place. In that vein, the Song of the Week is a noisy indie rock ripper from the Pixies, “Planet of Sound.” The song […]
U.S. Tank Painting Inc., a New Jersey water tank painting contractor, is facing $485,580 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a worker’s 80-foot fall from a Bayville, New Jersey, water tower, resulting in severe injuries, the agency announced July 24. Agency investigators determined that U.S. Tank Painting employed workers to sandblast and […]
The EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently issued a report that found the Agency didn’t follow the typical intra-agency review and clearance process during the development and publication of the January 2021 perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) toxicity assessment. During the final clearance process for the assessment, a Trump political appointee ordered a last-minute review […]
Last month, the Government Accountability Project (GAP), filed an Emergency Administrative Procedure Act (APA) petition with the EPA to spur the Agency to take action to warn residents in and around East Palestine, Ohio, not to eat homegrown garden produce due to dioxin and other chemical contamination in the soil from the Norfolk Southern train […]
On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) made history in issuing a landmark 6-to-3 ruling overturning a 40-year-old administrative law standard known as Chevron deference. The ruling opens the door for a tsunami of legal challenges to federal rulemaking. Federal regulations affect nearly every facet of daily life, from the cars we drive […]
On July 17, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into a January 2023 explosion and toxic chemical release at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in Geismar, Louisiana. A reboiler at the facility exploded, leading to the release of over 870 pounds (lb) of hydrogen […]
A new study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found ethylene oxide (EtO) levels within Louisiana’s Cancer Alley average twice the threshold level set by the EPA for unacceptable cancer risks. Airborne EtO is dangerous for long-term exposure at any level above 11 parts per trillion (ppt), according to the study. That threshold is very low, […]
On July 12, 2024, the EPA announced a proposed settlement with OMG Partners of Turlock, California, to resolve claims of Clean Water Act (CWA) violations after one of the company’s tanker trucks overturned and a fuel product spilled into the roadway, Laguna Creek, Coyote Creek, and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. The fuel reached […]