Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On September 30, OSHA withdrew its proposal to revoke the ancillary provisions of the construction and shipyard beryllium standards. The permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short-term exposure limit (STEL) already have gone into effect, and the agency will implement the other provisions of the January 9, 2017, final rule, which will become effective September 30, […]
Worker safety advocates, scientists, and some state OSHA authorities have been contending for years that OSHA’s permissible exposure levels (PELs) for lead in the workplace are inadequate to protect workers from the multiple adverse health effects associated with the metal.
At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead—and to other airborne contaminants as well. If the employer had paid attention to its lead compliance, it […]
At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead. As a result, OSHA issued several serious and willful violations against the employer for violations of the […]
OSHA’s new final rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica is actually two rules: the Agency published its maritime/general industry and construction rules concurrently. The rules are very similar, but there are some differences in their scope, compliance requirements, and compliance dates. Here’s an overview of the differences between the two rules.
On March 25, 2016, OSHA published its final rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica. Since 1971, crystalline silica exposures have been subject to a permissible exposure limit found in 29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-3; the new rule establishes a substance-specific standard for crystalline silica. Substance-specific standards include extensive compliance requirements not found in […]
Could a one-two punch from the federal government decimate a major American industry? Yesterday we looked at new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements and cost controversies for controlling air pollution at brick and ceramic manufacturing plants. Today we will review the impact that OSHA’s silica dust rule will have on EHS management tasks at such […]
At Lake Compounce Family Theme Park in Bristol, Connecticut, visitors can ride the Boulder Dash – a wooden coaster that reaches speeds above 60 mph – or the brand-new Phobia – a steel coaster that flips riders through a cobra inversion 150 feet in the air. But behind the thrills and chills were some working […]
A company in Waverly, Ohio, was recently fined over $56,000 for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) lead standard concerning exposure monitoring and the use of personal protective equipment. Today we will review the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for lead, take a look at what happened in this particular case, and urge […]
OSHA’s recently released fall 2015 regulatory agenda outlines the status of the agency’s currently pending prerules, proposed rules, and final rules. While most of the items on the fall 2015 list are holdovers from previous regulatory agendas, the Department of Labor (DOL) identified two major rulemaking efforts, both in the final rule stage, as top […]