Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In a BLR webinar titled “Worker Safety: How to Implement Truly Effective Training That Reduces Injuries, Costs, and Lawsuits,” Michael D. Lawrence of Summit Safety Technologies discussed how businesses can improve their training programs. Employee engagement is very important in ensuring transfer and retention of knowledge. That’s because employee engagement: Drives customer loyalty, which creates […]
As a generator of HSM, you ultimately decide whether the material is safely managed. The decision to send your HSMs to an off-site recycling business should be followed by a careful review of the qualifications of available recyclers. Improper management can increase liability of the originating company (remember RCRA’s “cradle-to-grave” mandate). Environmental managers investigating recycling […]
Each year, fire erupts at some 70,000 U.S. workplaces, killing 200 employees, injuring thousands, and causing billions of dollars in property damage. Most workplace fires are the result of human behavior rather than equipment failure, which means they can be prevented with a proactive program reinforced by training. Yesterday, we looked at the major causes […]
New Definition of ‘Sham Recycling’ Sham recycling refers to claims by a hazardous waste generator that the waste is being recycled when it is in fact being discarded. A new definition at 40 CFR 261.2(g) codifies EPA’s concept of sham recycling: “A hazardous secondary material found to be sham recycled is considered discarded and a […]
It was around 4 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, when the AMF bowling alley in Huntsville, Alabama, caught fire. As a cloud of smoke spread over the sleeping city, firefighters entered the building to fight the blaze, which is believed to have started in the bowling alley’s kitchen. While the firefighters moved through the building, […]
In the June 11, 2014, Federal Register (FR), the EPA published an Information Collection Request (updated in the October 14, 2014, FR) asking for public comment concerning the hazardous waste generator rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Specifically, the Agency asked that the comments address the following components of the generator rules: […]
In October 2014, a worker at Portland Specialty Bakery in Portland, Oregon, was trying to clear jammed dough from a bagel-making machine. The worker placed a piece of dough over the machine’s safety sensor, lifted the guard, and reached into the machine for the jammed dough. His hand was caught and crushed. The same bakery […]
Under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) rules, and most state variations of the RCRA rules, there are three classes of generators: large quantity generators (LQGs), small quantity generators (SQGs), and conditionally exempt small quantity generators (CESQGs). Note: It is critical to remember that most states have been delegated the authority to run […]
Manuel Aquino, 70 years old, had worked for Art’s Equipment Rental in Sharonville, Ohio, for 13 years. His job duties included keeping the equipment clean, so on March 3, Aquino was pressure-washing a front-end loader in his employer’s yard. Something went wrong, and Aquino was crushed between the bucket on the loader and the body […]
Environmental Engineers Environmental engineers design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology. Table 1 outlines median salaries for environmental engineers from 2010 to 2014, nationwide, and for the states with the highest and lowest median salary. Note: […]