Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today’s workplace uses thousands of chemicals, many of which are hazardous. The resources in this section will help guide you in the safe and legal identification, storage, transport, and use of these chemicals, and in making sure that your employees right to know how to be safe around such substances is provided, as required by law.
On June 4, 2025, the EPA announced a penalty settlement in the amount of $270,437 with Ultramar Inc., doing business as Valero Wilmington Refinery, over chemical safety violations under both the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The facility uses hydrofluoric acid, a dangerous chemical that can cause […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 4 that it has reached a settlement with Adidas America Inc., requiring the company to pay $235,000 in fines and implement enhanced safety measures at multiple facilities. OSHA conducted a 2024 follow-up inspection at an Adidas warehouse in upstate New York. The agency initially cited the […]
A federal jury cleared GATX Corp. from any financial responsibility in the $600 million class action settlement award for damages caused by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio. GATX owned the railcar with a faulty bearing that was determined to be the cause of the train derailment, which resulted in chemical spills and […]
On May 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) celebrated the 50th anniversary of its nonenforcement program On-Site Consultation. Launched in 1975, the program has expanded to serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories. According to OSHA, the program helps employers identify workplace hazards, improve safety practices, and build […]
On May 27, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a final report on three chemical incidents involving hydrogen fluoride (HF) at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The incidents occurred over a period of less than three years—from October 2021 to June 2024—and revealed systemic safety failures […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine workplace chemical hazards. Every day, on-the-job exposures to chemicals can pose health and safety hazards to your employees. Those can be addressed by exposure control methods like engineering or administrative controls, personal […]
On May 14, 2025, the EPA announced it will keep the current National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which set nationwide limits for these “forever chemicals” in drinking water. “The Agency is committed to addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water while following the […]
Research by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has found high levels of bisphenol S (BPS) in receipt paper used by many major retailers, including Ace Hardware, Burger King, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar General, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, and Williams Sonoma. “BPS … is a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of […]
The EPA recently requested additional time from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to prepare its response in a case challenging its final per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Maximum Containment Levels (MCLs). Petitioners and other respondents aren’t opposed to the request for additional time. The case, American Water Works Association and Association of Metropolitan Water […]
As part of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, the EPA announced in a press release its intent to reconsider the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) “regulation governing the review of chemicals already in commerce by initiating a rulemaking that will ensure the agency can efficiently and effectively protect human health […]