Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.
Free Special Report: What to Expect from an OSHA Inspection
The EPA recently announced a proposed rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that would protect workers and consumers from exposure to the solvent n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). The “EPA’s 2020 risk evaluation found that this chemical causes serious health effects, including miscarriages and reduced fertility, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, immune system […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to comply with OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard. Lockout/tagout, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standard that’s more formally known as “control of hazardous energy,” addresses the hazards posed by equipment […]
On July 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released text of a proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard. The proposed regulation would contain requirements for water, shade, paid breaks, heat acclimatization, and training. Heat injury and illness prevention requirements would be triggered by a National Weather Service heat index of 80° Fahrenheit […]
In United States of America v. Denka Performance Elastomer LLC and DuPont Specialty Products USA LLC, Denka recently told a federal appeals court that it will have to permanently close its Louisiana facility if it’s forced to comply with an EPA mandate to reduce emissions within 90 days. Background Denka operates a chemical manufacturing plant […]
Johns Creek, Georgia, contractor NOR-D LLC faces a $61,065 OSHA fine after a 54-year-old laborer on a five-man crew removing tar and stone from metal roof panels of a Macon warehouse stepped on a skylight and fell about 19 ft, the agency announced June 25. Investigators determined that an employee stepped on the skylight after […]
A.W. Stiles Contractors Inc., a McMinnville, Tennessee, contractor, faces $83,885 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following a fatal fall at a Smyrna, New York, jobsite, the agency announced June 25. OSHA inspectors found that A.W. Stiles failed to provide the worker who was fatally injured and three others with effective fall protection, exposing […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a final report on a fatal 2022 naphtha release and fire at the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in Oregon, Ohio, the board announced June 24. The chemical release and fire led to the deaths of two BP employees, who were brothers. During an emergency at the […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) on June 4 announced it deployed a team to investigate a fatal fire at a liquid nitriding facility in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. One person died after suffering severe burns during the incident at the TS USA facility, which uses a nitriding process to harden the outer […]
On June 11, 2024, the EPA announced a settlement with Andersen’s Sales and Salvage Inc., based in Greeley, Colorado, resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) associated with releases of refrigerants. The consent agreement and final order require the company to pay a $195,000 penalty for these violations. “Andersen’s Sales and Salvage failed […]
EPA Clean Water Act (CWA) wastewater regulations are set to face U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) scrutiny. In the case City and County of San Francisco v. EPA, San Francisco is suing the EPA over generic water quality prohibitions in permitting decisions. “The EPA had urged the Supreme Court to decline the petition, insisting narrative limitations […]