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On September 23, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Order mandating that all new passenger trucks and cars sold in the state be emissions-free by 2035. Symbolically, the order was signed on the hood of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured by Honda, Audi, and Tesla in the background.
In the third quarter (Q3), the EPA finalized 327 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant increase in enforcement actions—up from 162 penalties issued in Q2 for 2020. The actions taken resulted in $6,367,710 in fines. Here are some of the highlights.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued temporary guidance on enforcement of initial and annual fit-testing requirements in the Respiratory Protection standard for Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs). Enforcement discretion is limited to healthcare personnel or other workers engaged in high- or very high-exposure-risk activities.
On October 1, 2020, the EPA finalized a rule under the Clean Air Act (CAA) giving sources of major hazardous air pollution (HAP) a route to reclassify themselves as area sources subject to much less stringent requirements.
There are those who almost intuitively know what career path they will follow from a young age. Others find their way by getting out in the world and forging their own path, gathering a breadth of experience along the way. In this installment of Faces of EHS, we spoke with Andy Stevenson, an environment, health, […]
Fall election campaigns are in full swing. It is a very confusing time for the nation, with the economy still reeling on the heels of an unprecedented response to a pandemic.
“The only constant is change.” While this phrase is something of a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true—and it is especially true for businesses. While change can be exciting and productive for an organization, it also carries with it a certain amount of risk, and some of this risk is tied directly to […]
States with their own workplace safety and health programs continue strong enforcement of both occupational safety and health regulations and their governors’ orders allowing the reopening of businesses. California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) cited five grocery stores, including two that failed to report employee deaths. The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration […]
Will workplace safety and health inspectors show up at your facility if workers contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and one of them files a complaint? Yes; in fact, it’s already happened.
On September 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the renewal of its alliance with the American Chemistry Council (ACC) to protect the safety and health of workers handling diisocyanates, a compound used to make polyurethane. The agency first signed its alliance with the ACC’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) and Diisocyanates […]