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California wildfire

Cal/OSHA Warns Employers of Wildfire Smoke Hazards

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) on July 13 reminded employers of their obligation to comply with the state’s protection from wildfire smoke standard, which requires employers to take steps such as moving work operations, modifying work schedules, or providing proper respiratory protection such as N95 respirators in the event of wildfires. There […]

Fall Protection Again Tops Most Frequently Cited Standards List

The construction industry fall protection standard (29 CFR §1926.501) continues to top the list of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most frequently cited standards for the 11th year in a row. The agency unveiled a preliminary list of violations for fiscal year (FY) 2021 in a virtual presentation at the National Safety Council’s (NSC) […]

Understanding the ‘Employer Pays’ PPE Rule

Yesterday’s Advisor examined some of the exceptions and loopholes in the seemingly simple “employer pays” rule for personal protective equipment (PPE). Today we look at some of the other gray areas of the recent rule. As of May 15, 2008, employers were required to comply with an OSHA final rule requiring them to provide—at no […]

Break a Safety Regulation, Get 1 Year in Jail; Conspire to Do it, Get a Lot More?

Earlier this year, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was brought to trial on charges of conspiracy to violate mandatory federal mine safety and health standards, conspiracy to impede federal mine safety officials, making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and securities fraud. Blankenship faced up to 31 years in prison on the […]

What Will Be Happening with Pesticides in 2012

She points out that mandated by a 2009 court decision, EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP) went into effect for point source discharges from pesticide application to U.S. waters. The PGP is believed to be the first permitting requirement of its type many small farmers will face in 2012. State-issued […]

Ask the Expert: Safe Hydrogen Storage Near a Transformer

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 placing a fire wall between a transformer and compressed hydrogen. See what the experts had to say. Q: Are there requirements to place a […]

Is it a Hazardous Material?

We ship empty methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK) containers by truck back to the supplier for refill. Must we classify them as Hazardous Material since the empty containers have only residual amount of MEK left in them, or is there an empty container exemption?

Chemicals

IRIS and TSCA: Chemical Assessments Face Budget and Time Challenges

Chemical assessments, a core activity at the EPA, are conducted under two separate but closely related programs—the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) and implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and its 2016 amendments. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on how these two programs are completing their mission to evaluate […]