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Committees that focus on safety and health improvement, ergonomics, incident investigation, or other specific goals are common in businesses of all sizes. Labor/management safety committees aren’t mandated in California, but many employers use them to comply with the communication requirements of the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) standard in General Industry Safety Orders Section […]
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) is complicated and if submitted inaccurately (or not at all), can result in substantial penalties. Reporting is required every 4 years, and 2016 brings a number of changes to CDR requirements. Companies required to report under the CDR rules have until September 30 to submit their […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) is requesting recommendations regarding possible changes to its procedural rules at 29 CFR 2200. The OSHRC notes that the last comprehensive revision of its rules occurred in 2005.
In the first quarter (Q1), the EPA finalized 235 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a slight increase in enforcement actions—up from 206 penalties—issued in Q4 for 2023. The actions taken resulted in $8,002,246 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. RCRA violations yield biggest fine from […]
Environment, health and safety (EHS) managers are often tasked with managing underground storage tank (UST) systems. It’s no wonder that with three classes of UST operators to deal with, a recent report shows that the most common violation found during UST inspections involves training. Today we’ll take a look at the report, and tomorrow we […]
Here’s a company that emphasizes safety at its customer contact center and has achieved remarkable results. Last fall, United Airlines’ Detroit Customer Contact Center was named a Star VPP worksite by Michigan OSHA. It was the first Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) certification for United Airlines. Kerry Fischman, senior staff specialist for corporate ground safety, says […]
Seventeen Republican senators on August 23 sent EPA Administrator Michael Regan a letter urging him to waive or significantly lower the 2020 renewable volume obligation (RVO) for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance and set the 2021 and 2022 “RVOs at levels that comport with reality.” Led by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and joined by 16 […]
Thousands of people are involved in cleaning up from the devastation and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. The work can be slow and disheartening. It can also be dangerous. If your employees are performing recovery work, OSHA recommends you first assess the potential for hazardous conditions and/or exposures before starting work. Based on an initial […]
In addition to the personnel requirements we reviewed yesterday, Part 109 also defines how facilities that do not have a Facility Response Plan (FRP) in place and that have made the determination that required secondary containment is impracticable, should both have and be prepared to obtain necessary spill response equipment. In general, according to the […]
This question deserves a thoughtful response because active shooters and other active assailants present clear and present danger for workplaces across the United States as evidenced by the frequency and severity of recent attacks both here and abroad. Consider the following: There were 19 identified active assailant events in 2014 and over 40% of those […]