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In a live statement and backed by a coterie of industry leaders and agency heads, President Donald Trump unveiled the administration’s proposal to amend regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), commonly referred to as the NEPA process. Given that the announced action is a proposal and not a final rule and also […]
The National Safety Council (NSC) has received an additional $500,000 grant from the Pittsburgh-based McElhattan Foundation for the NSC’s Work to Zero initiative, the Council announced. The program, launched last January, will educate employers about technological advancements in safety, such as artificial intelligence, drones, and wearables, that may reduce or eliminate preventable deaths in the […]
The EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reported that the Agency failed to comply with two Clinton-era Executive Orders (EOs) when former Administrator Scott Pruitt decided to rush into publication the proposed repeal of an Obama-era rule intended to reduce air pollution generated by glider vehicles.
On January 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) raised its civil penalties (85 Fed. Reg. 2,292) by approximately 1.8%. The final rule implements annual inflation adjustments of civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by OSHA and other agencies within the Department of Labor (DOL) in 2020, as required by the Inflation Adjustment Act […]
As of January 1, 2020, certain industrial facilities in California must provide the cities or counties in which they are located with proof that they are enrolled in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) governing stormwater discharges before they can obtain or renew a business license. The cities/counties must then confirm on the business […]
Despite the growing introduction of industrial exoskeletons across several industry sectors, their benefits and risks have not been well studied, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently said in a scientific journal. Few studies have been made of the health and safety implications of using wearable exoskeletons, NIOSH said in commentary in […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces safety standards for the workplace. It’s a simple job description but a huge undertaking. And given that negative attitudes toward the agency are pervasive among U.S. employers and workers, OSHA’s authority has taken on an almost mythical quality, and many misconceptions about the agency’s powers […]
OSHA inspections were up in 2019, and the trend of aggressive enforcement shows no sign of abatement any time soon. Take a look at some of the more significant enforcement cases from the past several months for a snapshot of OSHA’s recent inspection priorities. From fall hazards to silica and beyond, these cases illustrate the […]
In the fourth quarter (Q4), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 71 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant decrease in enforcement actions, down from 158 penalties issued in Q3 and 106 in Q2. However, the actions taken resulted in almost $2.5 million in fines. In […]
In draft letters dated October 16, 2019, and addressed to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the chair of the Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) raised substantive concerns about four major EPA regulatory proposals.