Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today’s Advisor reports a “good news” story about how effective training saves lives. When three miners became trapped in a lead zinc mine in January 2010 in Bunker, Missouri, rescue teams worked together to save them, applying what they had learned in training to a real-life test of their skills. The U.S. Department of Labor’s […]
Let’s face it. If someone in your community has a complaint about your facility, you would much rather hear from them than having the EPA alerted first. It’s all about communication. We’ve discussed some of these ideas before, but some of them bear repeating. These tips can help you in developing an open relationship with […]
Employers have a great deal of flexibility in designing wellness programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—but there are also some pitfalls to avoid, and most of them involve laws that predate the ACA. Some employees who are subject to more stringent wellness program requirements designed by their employers under the ACA are suing—successfully—for discrimination […]
When the EPA publishes a press release about an enforcement case, the release will likely contain a statement about how the Agency came to uncover the violations. Sometimes a routine inspection, sometimes a surprise inspection, but often you will find that the inspection was prompted by a citizen complaint. In essence, your neighbors are tattling […]
Wellness programs are proliferating under the Affordable Care Act, which increased the available incentive and penalty options for employers. And, they look like a win-win—workers win, because the company funds the initiative that improves their health status. Employers win, because healthier employees are happier, more productive, and less likely to suffer injuries and illnesses. Unfortunately, […]
Emergency responders must be trained before their participation in emergency response operations. Their training must be based on the functions and duties they will be expected to perform. Examples of activities emergency responders could be involved in include: Responding to the spill of a highly toxic substance from an overturned 55-gallon drum Responding to a […]
On March 3, 2015, OSHA cited Seldat Distribution, a distribution warehouse in Dayton, NJ, for 10 serious violations carrying $63,000 in proposed penalties. Inspectors were at the facility looking for electrical hazards in the wake of an employee’s electrocution, and they found many, including problems with the distributor’s electrical panels. They found other problems as […]
HAZWOPER applies to employers involved in three general categories of work operations: Hazardous waste site cleanup operations (e.g., Superfund, voluntary cleanups, and corrective actions under RCRA) Operations involving hazardous waste at TSDFs (e.g., a landfill that accepts hazardous waste), and Emergency response operations for releases of, or the threat of release of, hazardous substances at […]
In March 2015, OSHA cited Dollar General Corp. for four repeated safety violations found in a December 2014 inspection of a Dollar General store in Atlanta, GA. Dollar General stores have been inspected more than 70 times since 2009—and many of those inspections have identified the same hazards over and over again. The most recent […]
Civil Penalties With a few exceptions, most violations of RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations carry a civil penalty of up to $37,500 per day per violation and the possible suspension or revocation of the violator’s permit. Criminal Penalties Knowing violations of hazardous waste rules can result in fines of up to $50,000 per day per violation […]