Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The EPA recently announced its approval of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s (WDEQ) request to allow the expansion of uranium mining in Sweetwater County. This approval provides a green light for projects in the Battle Springs Formation, an aquifer located throughout the Great Divide basin in south-central Wyoming. Working with the WDEQ, the EPA […]
We’re already into May, which means the weather is getting warmer and the storms get increasingly intense. In the EHS world, that means starting to think about extreme weather conditions and in some parts of the country, it also means hurricanes. This week, we’re going back to 1977 for a classic extreme weather song from […]
Yesterday, we talked about two common health effects of shiftwork. Today, we explore circadian rhythm in more detail and their impact on worker safety and health. As we said yesterday, human body functions follow a daily rhythm, or 24-hour cycle, known as circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates sleeping, waking, digestion, secretion of adrenaline, body […]
OSHA has a lot to say about emergency preparedness and response. Do you know where to find all the rules? A hurricane blasts through South Florida causing more than $25 billion in damage. A fire rips through a food processing plant, killing 25. An explosion at a refinery injures 100 and leaves 15 dead. A […]
OSHA has signed a comprehensive settlement agreement with Bartlett Grain Company LP that resolves contested citations issued by OSHA in 2012. Six workers were killed and two were injured as a result of an explosion at a Kansas grain elevator. Under terms of the agreement, the employer agreed to pay $182,000 in penalties. The original […]
Should the U.S. Supreme Court decide that challenges against EPA’s Clean Water Rule (CWR or waters of the United States (WOTUS)) be heard in the U.S. District Courts and not the U.S. Appeals Courts, the nationwide stay of the CWR issued by the 6th Circuit will be lifted, and the CWR will take effect.
In its final rule adding an applicability date for the Obama administration’s 2015 Clean Water Rule (more commonly called the waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule), the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) state that action simply maintains the status quo (i.e., the definition of waters of the United States that prevailed before […]
An initiative that helps support appropriate work for those who have sustained workplace injuries has reached two important milestones. Keep reading to find out why the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is celebrating.
Yesterday, we focused on key aspects of OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard. Today, we conclude this quick review of written procedure and training requirements. As an employer, you are required to establish written procedures for locking out the piece of machinery or equipment that will be worked on and to provide training for all employees who might […]