On episode 260 of EHS On Tap, Kristi Hames, chemical safety expert and certified industrial hygienist at VelocityEHS, talks about a federal proposal to shut down the agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents.
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we look at the evolution of safety regulation. Efforts to limit federal safety and health resources began this spring and are accelerating through the summer. The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated its guidance on penalty and debt collection procedures in the Field Operations Manual (FOM), the agency announced July 14. The agency said the updates would minimize the burden on small businesses and increase prompt hazard abatement. “All employers should be offered the opportunity to comply with regulations […]
On episode 259 of EHS On Tap, John Ho, Co-Chair of Cozen O’Connor’s OSHA-Workplace Safety Practice, explains what OSHA’s latest proposed changes could mean for EHS professionals.
On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) laid down rules to resolve split circuit court opinions, determining which EPA Clean Air Act (CAA) cases should be heard by regional district courts and which must be heard by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Before making its determination, SCOTUS heard two cases: The […]
The president’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget for the EPA totals $4.16 billion, a 54% decrease from the FY 2025 enacted budget level, according to the FY 2026 EPA Budget in Brief. If enacted, it will represent the smallest budget the Agency has seen in 50 years. The FY 2026 budget supports 12,856 full-time […]
On July 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took significant steps at deregulation by proposing changes to medical evaluation requirements in the respiratory protection standard. It also proposed changes to several toxic and hazardous substances standards to allow different types of respirators, remove provisions that duplicate requirements of the respiratory protection standard, or […]
On July 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took its first steps at deregulation, publishing one final rule and many proposals. The final rule revokes 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1911.10, the requirement for the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health to consult with the Advisory Committee on Construction […]
On June 25, the Department of Labor (DOL) outlined its policies for referring regulatory enforcement cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal prosecution (90 Fed. Reg. 27057). The DOL’s Office of the Solicitor published its policies in response to the May 9 Executive Order “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” (E.O. 14294; 90 Fed. […]
On episode 257 of EHS On Tap, Phil Molè, EHS & Sustainability Expert at VelocityEHS, talks about the current regulatory climate for worker safety.