Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
If you have hazardous waste at your facility, you are a generator of hazardous waste. If you decide to manage some of it as universal waste, you are automatically a universal waste handler by virtue of being a generator of universal waste. Generated universal waste is not counted in a generator’s hazardous waste quantity if […]
Are the benefits of your safety program functions and performance undervalued because of communication barriers? Are you effectively measuring the performance of your program—and communicating that performance to managers in language they can understand? Keep reading for tips on how to use the tools of business managers and the format and language of the organization’s […]
Problem # 1: Have you crossed the line to hazmat offeror? You’re a hazardous waste generator and you have hired a hazardous waste transporter to pick up your waste and haul it off. You’ve checked everything off your Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) checklist and you’re ready for the waste to be out of […]
You’ve got an ambitious agenda for moving your safety process forward. You’ve done the research, and you know your ideas are sound. Now how do you communicate the value of your agenda to decision makers who hold the purse strings? Keep reading for the strategies you need to succeed. You became a safety professional because […]
An environmental monitoring system called IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) is an environmental justice tool available to folks in California communities for reporting environmental concerns. What is IVAN? The partnership among local, state, and federal agencies and community groups, which started in 2009, has been implemented in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles, the Imperial […]
Once again, a major health and safety violation has cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this case, a marine terminal operator in Seattle has been found to have multiple serious health and safety violations and is facing more than $400,000 in fines. Labor & Industries (L&I) recently cited the marine terminal operator […]
An oil production company operating in Big Horn County, Wyoming was recently fined for the discharge of approximately 162 barrels of oil into a tributary of a major river. The discharge came from a leak in a pipeline at its pumping facility. The facility is on an onshore oil gathering, pumping, and storage station that […]
Whenever workers are working on or near exposed live electrical conductors operating at 50 volts or more, they are at risk of arc flash—a potentially explosive release of electrical energy through the air that can cause serious injury or death. Here’s how you can prevent arc flash incidents and injuries. Make a Plan Employers should […]
There is much confusion surrounding the applicability of SPCC requirements. A question that recently came across the desk of one environmental expert involved oil in flavorings. The person asked if flavorings that contain small amounts of oil (for example, almond and hazelnut oil) count towards an inventory to determine SPCC applicability if they are stored […]
A maintenance supervisor at a Wisconsin iron foundry was severely burned by an electrical arc flash in June 2013. The supervisor was injured while servicing a 480-volt circuit breaker without proper electrical protective equipment. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the employer for a willful violation of electrical standards, alleging that the employer […]