Archives

CSB Urges FERC to Address Hurricanes, Extreme Weather Events

On August 2, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a letter sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the commission to address hurricanes and other high-wind extreme weather events in updates to its Transmission System Planning Performance Requirements for the nation’s bulk-power system. The CSB pointed out to FERC […]

Back to Basics: Sorting Out Chemical Regulations

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine chemical regulations. Depending on your industry, you may have to deal with one or more federal agencies that regulate chemicals in commerce. A variety of federal regulations apply to the production, […]

EHSDA Song of the Week: Help!

This week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is promoting worker mental health with Safe + Sound Week. The annual event involves thousands of worksites that will promote the benefits of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards. To that end, the […]

Cal/OSHA Expanding in Three Regions

On August 10, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced it will increase its physical presence in Fresno, Santa Barbara, and Riverside counties. The move will enable agency field inspectors to respond more efficiently in the Central Valley, Inland Empire, and Central Coast areas, according to Cal/OSHA. The state agency will start […]

EPA Finalizes Asbestos Reporting Rule

The EPA recently announced its final rule requiring reporting on all six fiber types of asbestos. Issued under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the rule requires asbestos manufacturers (including importers) and processors to report certain use and exposure information from the past 4 years, including information on asbestos-containing products (including as […]

Trump Administration Benefit-Cost Analysis Rule Rescinded

Effective August 14, 2023, the EPA’s rescission of the Trump-era rule “Increasing Consistency and Transparency in Considering Benefits and Costs in the Clean Air Act (CAA) Rulemaking Process” will be finalized. The rule (Benefit-Cost Rule) was rescinded “because the changes advanced by the rule were inadvisable, untethered to the [CAA], and not necessary to effectuate […]

Norfolk Southern Enters Into Derailment Site Agreement

Norfolk Southern Corp. has entered into a settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Teamsters’ railway union to address health and safety concerns at a train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio. A Norfolk Southern train derailed on February 2, 2023, causing a 49-railcar pileup, including 11 tank cars of […]

Faces of EHS: Waldorf Nelson on Relationships and Heat Safety

Waldorf Nelson originally started his career in construction in 2002 as a structural ironworker with Local Union 263 in the DFW. He stayed there for 14 years, and after seeing several senseless injuries over time, the safety career path began to grab his attention. He was approached to take on the safety manager role while […]

OSHA Kicks Off Safe + Sound Week with Focus on Worker Mental Health

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is joining businesses nationwide to recognize the successes of workplace safety and health programs during Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 7-13. The annual event involves thousands of worksites that will promote the benefits of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a […]

TSCA and TRI Complexities with the Increased Focus on PFAS

The EPA recently announced its framework for addressing new per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and new uses of PFAS and published its final rule adding nine new PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). These actions advance the goals of the Agency’s PFAS Strategic Framework. New framework to prevent unsafe new PFAS from entering the […]