Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
OSHA’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2017 includes a $42 million increase over 2016 levels and 100 additional full-time staff. Keep reading to learn how OSHA plans to use the additional funding and what it could mean for your facility.
When an employee “blows the whistle” on an employer’s alleged illegal activity, employers must tread very carefully. If any action has been taken that the employee could claim is unfavorable, the he or she may feel that the action is retaliatory. When that happens, the employee may file a complaint with the Occupational Safety and […]
When a worker believes that his employer is breaking federal law, he or she may “blow the whistle” by reporting the employer to regulators, who then open an investigation. Unscrupulous employers may retaliate against whistleblowers by denying them raises, bonuses, or promotions; demoting them; making their lives at work so miserable that they quit; or […]
In a blow to the agricultural and land development sectors, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging EPA’s 2010 total maximum daily load (TMDL) program for the Chesapeake Bay. The case was launched in 2011 when the American Farm Bureau, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the National Association of Home Builders, and others […]
Scores of national and state-based environmental groups sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) expressing their opposition to a bill that would negate many aspects of EPA’s rule governing disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from electric utilities.
Q. Can you provide some guidance on how to satisfy the requirements of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information without revealing the names or Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers of the chemicals we use in our mixtures?
The attorneys general (AGs) of 20 states have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) because the Agency had no legal authority to promulgate them. The AGs base their argument on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Michigan v. EPA (2015), in which a 5–4 majority ruled that the […]
A generator’s hazardous waste status is based on the quantity of hazardous waste generated each month. So do all your generated hazardous wastes need to be counted? Yes, but no. The federal regulation at 40 CFR 261.5(c) and (d) sets forth a list of wastes that are exempt from being counted in connection with ascertaining […]
Who knew that when you are ordering your morning latte, you are possibly putting your barista and others at risk? Well, that’s a conclusion that can be drawn from a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) report that claims workers at coffee processing facilities risk lung disease due to exposure to airborne […]
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 […]