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.
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On January 14, the Department of Labor (DOL), including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), adjusted its civil penalties for inflation (87 Federal Register (FR) 2328). Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a driver apprenticeship pilot program to allow 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to operate commercial motor vehicles […]
On January 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments concerning the COVID-19 vaccine-or-test emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued in November by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Petitioners, which include business groups and several states, want a federal injunction to block OSHA from implementing and enforcing the emergency rule. OSHA earlier announced plans […]
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved publication of proposed changes to compliance history reporting for regulated entities on December 15, 2021. The agency proposes adding a new section (§60.4) to Chapter 60 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), which would “provide a process for the executive director to designate a site’s compliance history […]
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) began 2022 with new responsibilities and enhanced safety and health enforcement authority. A new state law regarding the use of productivity quotas at warehouse distribution centers requires Cal/OSHA to inform the state’s labor commissioner whenever an employer or a site has an annual employee injury rate […]
A federal appeals court lifted a judicial stay on the emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employee COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing, and the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments January 7, 2022, about staying or striking down the rule. Will you be ready if the Supreme Court leaves the rule in place? The Occupational Safety […]
In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking who is responsible for a contractor’s OSHA violations and fines. See what the experts had to say. Q: Who is responsible for a contractor’s OSHA […]
Risk managers take note: Environmental enforcement, particularly criminal enforcement, is expected to rise in the coming months. In their remarks at the American Bar Association’s annual National Environmental Enforcement Conference, Chief of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Environmental Crimes Section Deborah Harris and Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, head of the DOJ Environment and Natural […]
Employee fatalities in the workplace are one of the worst situations employers can encounter while running a business. In just Fiscal Year 2019 alone, over 5,000 workers died on the job, averaging out to more than 100 fatalities per week, or fifteen cases per day. To combat these stark numbers and better protect employees on […]
It looks to be a bumpy road ahead for any industry, primarily the synthetic chemical manufacturing industry (SOCMI), including petrochemical plants, dealing with ethylene oxide (EO). At the heart of the controversy is the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) value for EO emissions. The controversial IRIS “IRIS is a research program that assesses chemical toxicity […]
A Jacksonville, Florida, roofing contractor faces incarceration for his failure to comply with court orders related to a series of safety violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced. Travis Slaughter, the owner of Great White Construction Inc. and Florida Roofing Experts, has failed to pay $2,202,049 in penalties assessed by OSHA for […]