Archives

An In-Depth Look at Eye Safety: Compliance Tips, Best Practices, and More

Thousands of employees are blinded and countless lives transformed each year as a result of work-related eye injuries that could have been prevented. Eye injuries are not just tragic; they’re expensive to the tune of more than $300 million each year in lost production time, medical expenses, and workers’ compensation costs.

Daunting, Tedious, and Critical: First Steps Classifying Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace

Every environment, health, and safety (EHS) manager is faced with the daunting and tedious task of ensuring that the hazardous chemicals in their workplace are correctly classified. And, every EHS manager is aware that the correct classification of chemicals and their hazards is the first critical step in ensuring the safety of the workers who […]

How E-Enterprise Figures in EPA’s 2017 Budget, Cont.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is modernizing its approach to environmental compliance and efficiency through a project called “E-Enterprise for the Environment.” Yesterday we reviewed EPA’s plans for E-Enterprise as outlined in the Agency’s 2017 budget pertaining to air quality, water quality, and inspections. Today we will look at EPA’s budgetary plans for compliance […]

6th Circuit Will Rule on WOTUS

In a 2-to-1 opinion in which each judge expressed different views, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit said that it would rule on consolidated petitions challenging the Clean Water Rule (CWR), jointly issued on June 29, 2015, by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (agencies).

No Chemicals Added in RMP Proposal

There are several significant revisions in EPA’s proposal to amend its Risk Management Program (RMP) affecting approximately 12,500 facilities holding threshold quantities of regulated chemicals. There are also several significant omissions.

Spill Reporting

Q. Would flavorings that contain small amounts of oil (for example, almond and hazelnut oil) count towards an inventory to determine Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) applicability if they are stored in 55 gallon drums or greater?

RCRA Confidentiality Claims for Affected Businesses

In a Federal Register (FR) notice, the EPA is informing affected businesses that they can assert confidentiality claims relevant to documents or data included in information submitted to the Agency to track the import/export of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)-regulated waste available to other parties under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Enforcement … It Begins and Ends with Your Permit

No one looks forward to the day when the regulatory authority arrives at your facility for an inspection. Will he or she find issues of noncompliance? Will an enforcement action or penalty be forthcoming? But remember, the ultimate goal of the inspector is not to write up a notice of violation but to ensure your […]

How E-enterprise Figures in EPA’s 2017 Budget

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is modernizing its approach to environmental compliance and efficiency through a project called “E-Enterprise for the Environment.” Today we will review EPA’s plans for E-Enterprise as outlined in the Agency’s 2017 budget pertaining to air quality, water quality, and inspections. Tomorrow we will look at EPA’s budgetary plans for […]

Fire Safety Related Annual Requirements

A lot of OSHA standards have requirements that must be fulfilled annually. In particular, OSHA’s fire safety standards have a number of inspection, testing, and training requirements that apply on an annual basis. Keep reading for a checklist of fire safety related annual requirements.   Bulk Plants Handling Flammable Liquids At bulk plants handling flammable […]