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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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) November 29 announced it had cited two Rhode Island contractors for cave-in hazards at the site of a Warwick, Rhode Island, sewer line excavation. The agency is seeking proposed penalties from the two employers of over $75,000. The agency cited Reyes Landscaping for two willful and five serious […]
In a report dated November 10, 2021, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) asserted, “The lack of five board members may prevent the [Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)] from achieving its stated mission to ‘drive chemical safety change through independent investigation to protect people and the environment.’” The CSB was created by […]
After much negotiation and whittling away at President Joseph Biden Jr.’s initial $2 trillion plan, Biden signed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law on November 6, 2021. “[T]he bipartisan agreement is a much-needed victory for the president — in part because, in the administration’s view, it commits the country to its largest-ever environmental […]
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 about the regulations for building a guardrail system. See what the experts had to say. Q: What are the regulations pertaining to temporary posts that […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that solar panel installation contractor, Marc Jones Construction LLC, operating as Sunpro Solar, is facing $160,913 in penalties for a repeat violation of the fall protection standard, along with other violations. The agency cited Sunpro Solar with a repeat, serious violation of the fall protection standard and serious violations of the ladders and fall protection training standards. Agency inspectors found workers at […]
The EPA on November 15 announced the release of the 2021 National Recycling Strategy “to tackle major recycling challenges facing the nation and to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective municipal solid waste recycling system.” For the first time, the plan includes measures to address the climate impacts of producing, using, and disposing of […]
A Houston mobile crane rental company was ordered to pay a former employee nearly $24,000 in back wages, interest, and damages after firing the worker in June 2020 for refusing to drive in excess of federal limits and reported fatigue, according to a November 18 announcement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The […]
Property management companies (PMC) performing or offering to perform regulated renovations without EPA certification in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities will be subject to stronger enforcement and compliance regulations of the lead-based paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule in the future, according to a November 4, 2021, EPA news release. “Health impacts from exposure […]
In response to the U.S. and E.U. pledge to slash methane emissions worldwide 30% by 2030 at COP26 in Glasgow, on November 2, 2021, the EPA announced a proposed rule to cut methane emissions, including reductions from existing sources nationwide. “As global leaders convene at this pivotal moment in Glasgow for COP26, it is now […]
Just as Present Joseph Biden Jr. was preparing for the global climate summit (COP26), the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) announced it will hear four cases, likely to be consolidated, to determine the EPA’s authority to regulate emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The October 29, 2021, announcement was the equivalent of […]