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 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 […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a report on March 24, marking the 20th anniversary of fatal explosions and fires at the BP America Texas City Refinery in Texas City, Texas. The March 23, 2005, explosions and fires at the BP America refinery led to 15 deaths, 180 injuries, and significant […]
On March 24, 2025, the EPA announced an update on the effective date of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). TCE is an extremely toxic chemical known to cause liver cancer, kidney cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It also, even in miniscule amounts, causes fetal heart defects and damage […]
A Missouri contractor has reached an agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to settle violations identified in investigations of a worker’s March 2023 fatal fall, OSHA announced April 7. OSHA investigators determined that Troyer Construction LLP, which operates as Troyer Roofing & Coatings, […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a second update on its investigation into a fatal hydrogen sulfide release last year at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. The board’s investigation is focused on safe work factors, maintenance policies and procedures, and emergency preparedness at the facility. When the […]
A combination of technical failures and unsafe operational practices at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, California, led to a November 19, 2023, fire, according to a final report issued March 13 by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). During the facility’s initial start-up of a renewable diesel hydroprocessing unit, a […]
In response to President Donald Trump’s memo titled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” the EPA delayed until March 21, 2025, the effective date of a January 2025 regulation adding nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which makes these chemicals subject to reporting requirements under the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) and […]