Tag: United States

Safer Chemical Management: Can OSHA Regulate Exposures Without PELs?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published permissible exposure limits (PELs) for about 500 chemicals—and most of those PELs have not been updated since 1971. In the intervening four 4 decades, the number of chemicals used in the United States has exploded and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control […]

Safety and Health Curriculum Coming to U.S. Classrooms

In addition to math, social studies, and English, some students in grades 7 through 12 will participate in an interactive teaching module titled Safety Matters. Find out who’s bringing the safety message into the classroom and why.

Five Essential Elements of a Total Worker Health Program

Each year in the United States, about 4,500 workers die from work-related injuries, and more than 50,000 die from work-related illnesses. More than 3 million suffer nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses; 2.8 million are treated in the emergency department; and 140,000 are hospitalized. The price tag to employers reaches $250 billion each year. Although employers […]

Greening the Grapes

Yesterday we discussed green infrastructure as a method to stem the flow of stormwater at your facility. Today we are going to take a fun trip on the wine trail to explore some ways that wineries can “green the grapes.” As the weather changes and grapes are growing well in climates where they did not […]

15 Tips for Storing Medical Waste

Hazardous waste pharmaceuticals are all over the EHS news services lately because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent proposal establishing specific management requirements for healthcare facilities that generate hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. However, hazardous waste pharmaceuticals are a small percentage of the medical waste that is generated in the United States. Today we offer […]

Hazardous Waste Imports/Exports Improvements Proposed

The EPA has released a proposal to improve the efficiency and transparency of hazardous waste shipped into and out of the United States. The new proposal would ensure that all U.S. import/export regulations covering transboundary shipments are consistent with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regulations

Small Biz: 5 Steps toward Getting the Green for Green Technology

There’s money to be had in green technology for small business entrepreneurs. Today we will walk you through five steps toward getting funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for green technology ideas. Tomorrow we will highlight three projects the Agency recently funded to help you judge whether your idea can grab the money […]

California Reports Fewer Workplace Fatalities

Workplace fatalities may be up nationwide, but California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) released preliminary statistics for the state that show a 16 percent decline in workplace deaths from 2013 to 2014. While DIR Director Christine Baker called the downward trend encouraging, she emphasized the need for employers to continue their commitment to workplace safety. […]