Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.
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The EPA’s proposed expanded Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) program to further reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from large industrial sources includes an allowance-based trading program for 25 states. This action is expected to resolve the good neighbor provisions for those states in meeting the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for NOx. The […]
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) area offices in Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Florida, cited two employers following workplace fatalities. The agency’s Fort Lauderdale office cited Fleming Island, Florida-based Ballhawker of Florida Inc. with 12 serious violations after a 26-year-old diver drowned in a pond on a Ponte Vedra Beach golf course. OSHA is seeking […]
Thirteen organizations, led by environmental advocacy heavy hitters Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and the Sierra Club, petitioned the EPA on June 28, 2022, urging the Agency “to take action in Texas, where the state’s air permitting program has for years failed to meet public participation and environmental justice obligations under federal environmental and civil rights […]
On July 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced citations for violations at a Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Dollar General store the agency had cited a year earlier. OSHA is seeking new penalties totaling $136,741. Responding to a complaint, the agency began an inspection at the store on December 28, 2021, and found conditions similar […]
On June 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it is extending its National Emphasis Program (NEP) for COVID-19 until further notice. The NEP was set to expire July 7. The agency also announced it is temporarily increasing its coronavirus inspection goal from 5% of inspections to 10% while it works to finalize […]
On June 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced citations for two repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations found during a Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) follow-up inspection. Employers included in the agency’s SVEP are subject to mandatory follow-up inspections and increased agency pressure to abate cited hazards. General Aluminum Mfg. Company […]
A federal jury found that a Massachusetts employer and his company retaliated against an employee who reported an on-the-job injury, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced on June 22. The jury awarded $650,000 in damages—$600,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 in compensatory damages—in the case. The DOL filed a lawsuit in February 2019 against Tara […]
A leaked EPA list reveals more than 160 unlined coal ash ponds across the United States are under investigation for closure. Coal combustion residuals (CCR), or coal ash, which is a byproduct of power plants that burn coal, contain contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. According to EPA estimates, more than 140 million tons of […]
On June 22, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a settlement agreement in the case of a fatal fall on June 1, 2020. Industrial Insulation and Coatings LLC of Girard, Ohio, reached a settlement agreement with the agency to resolve litigation before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. In June 2020, OSHA […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a pair of six-figure penalties issued to two employers for fall violations, including citations for a fatal fall. On June 21, the agency revealed it cited a Strasburg, Pennsylvania, framing contractor for two willful and five serious violations, exposing workers to falls as high as 14 feet while […]