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OSHA Launches Confined Space Enforcement Programs

Two regional offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched regional emphasis programs (REP) to enforce the agency’s permit-required confined spaces standard (29 CFR §1910.146) in the transportation and tank-cleaning industries. OSHA’s Region 5 office (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) initiated an REP effective August 2, and the agency’s Region 6 […]

Retail Facilities

Bill Would Affect Retail Facilities Definition for PSM Standard

A provision in the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (Farm Bill), which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2018, would provide a definition that clarifies that retail facilities that receive more than half of their income from direct sales to end users or consumers, including farmers and ranchers, are exempt from […]

Faces of EHS: Jac van der Houwen on Being a Visible Role Model

Jac van der Houwen’s passion in life started with caring for the environment and ended up with a PhD in Environmental Chemistry at the Reading University in the U.K. After finishing a PhD, Jac concluded that science is great for understanding how things should and could work, but the value comes out of the experiences […]

EPA Issues New Air Regulations for Chemical Industry

On April 9, 2024, the EPA announced it issued a final rule titled “New Source Performance Standards for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and Group I & II Polymers and Resins Industry.” This marks the first rule issued by […]

Lists of Hazardous Wastes You Should Know

1. Ignitability, 2. Corrosivity, 3. Reactivity, or 4. Toxicity The second way to tell if a waste is hazardous is if it is included on a specific list of wastes EPA has determined are hazardous. These “listed wastes” are placed on a list because EPA finds them to pose substantial present or potential hazards to […]

Oregon Adds Permanent Heat, Smoke Standards

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) recently announced new permanent workplace safety and health standards for heat and wildfire smoke exposures. Oregon rules for heat illness prevention and agricultural labor housing take effect June 15. The wildfire smoke protection standard takes effect July 1. “As we enter what we expect will be […]

Safety and the Small Business: Specific Challenges and OSHA Support

Small business fuels the American economy. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) defines a “small business” as an independent company with fewer than 500 employees. According to the SBA, there are about 28 million such companies, which represent about 49 percent of private sector employment. Being a small business shouldn’t keep you from thinking big […]

unprepared, prepared

Survey Shows Employees Don’t Feel Prepared for Emergencies in the Workplace

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave) recently released findings from a new survey of 530 respondents that examined employee perceptions of workplace safety. The survey revealed that “workplaces miss the mark in critical communication and planning, and could be unprepared to meet the future needs of employees,” according to a Rave press release.