Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today’s Advisor reports on OSHA’s new safety and health training program for the public sector. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) jurisdiction doesn’t extend to the public sector, but that doesn’t mean the agency is neglecting the safety and health of state and local government employees. Late in 2013, OSHA launched a new certificate […]
Civil Penalties With a few exceptions, most violations of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) hazardous materials regulations (HMRs) carry a civil penalty of up to $75,000 per day per violation for knowingly violating one of the HMRs. If the violation results in death, serious illness, or severe injury to any person or […]
What would you instinctively do if you thought you heard a gunshot at work? Walk toward the sound to see what happened Pick up the phone and call down to the front desk Ask two or three of your co-workers to see if they heard it too Immediately get up and get out of the […]
There is much confusion concerning who an offeror is under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrations (PHMSA) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs). PHMSA has numerous interpretation letters that attempt to clarify this issue for individual scenarios. We found two letters we think are pertinent to help you determine whether you are an offeror under the […]
In many workplaces, when there is a fire or other disaster affecting the building, the focus is on getting people out of the building quickly and safely. Workers are trained to know their closest emergency exits and at least two ways to reach them (in case one path is blocked). They know how to activate […]
Used oil generators include all persons who produce used oil through commercial or industrial operations and vehicle services. The regulations exempt household “do-it-yourselfers,” farmers under certain conditions, vessels at sea or at port, and mixtures of used oil and diesel fuel under certain conditions. If used oil is mixed with hazardous waste, it must be managed […]
The earliest recorded disaster involving ammonium nitrate (AN) occurred on April 16, 1947, in Texas City, Texas. A transport vessel loaded with 2,600 tons of AN caught fire; when the fire spread to the sealed storage hold, the transport exploded, killing 581 people—including all but one member of the Texas City Fire Department. We’ve known […]
The federal regulations you should consider when developing management practices for ASTs include: Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations for tank vapor control, air toxics, and pollution reduction The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) hazardous substance reporting requirements The Clean Water Act (CWA)-incorporated OPA that […]
On April 17, 2013, fire broke out in a wooden warehouse at West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas. As the town’s volunteer fire department mobilized to respond, 30 tons of ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer in an adjacent wooden warehouse exploded. Fifteen people died, including 12 volunteer firefighters. An apartment building, many houses, and a nursing […]
TRI is designed to provide citizens with information about chemicals being used, processed, manufactured, or released from facilities in their communities. The basic premise of TRI is that citizens have a right to know about toxic chemicals that are handled or released in their community. Meaning of “Release” under TRI Under the Emergency Planning and […]