Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Safety is a process, and as such, needs to be managed. This section offers resources to create a viable safety program, sell it to senior management, train supervisors and employees in using it, and then track and report your progress. Look also for ways to advance your own skills in these areas, both for your current job, and those that follow.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the August 2020 fire and toxic gas release at the Bio-Lab Lake Charles chemical facility in Westlake, Louisiana, the board announced January 7. The incident occurred when the facility was severely damaged by Hurricane Laura. The safety […]
On December 9, 2024, the EPA announced it finalized the latest risk management rules for trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) under the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments. TCE is an extremely toxic chemical known to cause liver cancer, kidney cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It also causes damage to the central nervous system, liver, […]
On episode 235 of EHS On Tap, Scott Gaddis, vice president, safety and health, at Intelex, talks about his new book From Participation to Partnership: A Journey to Safety at the Frontline.
The National Safety Council (NSC) recently released a second benchmarking survey of its MSD Solutions Pledge community—the “2023-2024 MSD Solutions Index Pledge Community Report.”The new report showed community members’ progress in addressing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), one of the most pervasive workplace injuries, according to the NSC. The NSC surveyed 44 MSD Pledge members from December […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine contractor and temporary worker safety. Many workplaces are staffed by workers with different employers—a host company, contractors, and staffing agencies. If you own or operate a facility, you have complete responsibility for […]
On January 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) terminated its healthcare COVID-19 rulemaking (90 Fed. Reg. 3665). The agency decided to focus its resources on developing an infectious diseases rulemaking for healthcare, describing the infectious diseases rulemaking as “the most effective and efficient use of agency resources” for protecting healthcare workers from occupational […]
AFCO, a Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, soap and detergent manufacturer, faces a $161,310 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following the agency’s investigation of a chemical gas release that sent a dozen workers to the hospital, the agency announced January 14. OSHA cited AFCO, a manufacturing subsidiary of Zep Inc., with one repeat violation, nine serious […]
On January 13, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su reacted to a newly released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study of worker health and safety in poultry plants, saying, “The findings in USDA’s report on worker safety in poultry and swine plants show that injuries, including chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders are too common. These […]
In this installment of EHSDA Shorts, Subena Colligan, CIH, CSP, Principal Coach, S. Colligan Coaching, explains the difference between safety and industrial hygiene.
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, the EPA finalized 215 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a decrease in enforcement actions—down from 482 penalties issued in Q3. The actions taken resulted in $7,739,116 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. CAA violations yield biggest fine from […]