Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Workers’ health and safety are increasingly at risk due to the impacts of climate change that include excessive heat, extreme weather, increasing air and water pollution, and infectious diseases, according to a new report issued July 28 by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The fiscal year (FY) 2020 report by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) on the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s (CSB) management challenges reveals that the board’s continued issues will impede its ability to effectively operate.
The EPA recently announced it would not be making any changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).
On July 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised its internal procedures for accessing employee medical records. The final rule shifts the authority for access from the assistant secretary of occupational safety and health to the OSHA medical records officer (MRO) (85 Federal Register 45780).
The rate of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses has declined from 10.9 cases per 100 full-time employees in 1972 to 2.8 cases in 2018, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted in its monthly publication, Beyond the Numbers. The July 2020 issue of the BLS’s publication, “Nearly 50 years of occupational safety and […]
The EPA recently released its annual air quality report, which concluded that air quality nationwide continues to improve. Our nation’s air quality is 77% cleaner today than it was in 1970, according to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported 25,168 drug violations among commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers for 2020 as of June. On July 13, the FMCSA released a June monthly report for its Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
Summary judgment was granted to the Plaintiffs in National Association of Wheat Growers et. al. v. Becerra on June 22, 2020, by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. A permanent injunction was entered against enforcing the requirement of including a Proposition 65 (Prop 65) warning label on pesticides containing glyphosate. Prop […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, EHS professionals need to remain aware of the collective strain workers in their organization might be feeling, as long-term mental health challenges could create the potential for workplace violence. As it’s important for environment, health, and safety professionals to be prepared for any such threats to their businesses, and […]
On March 26, 2020, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance (OECA) issued a temporary enforcement discretionary policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, the policy states that “regulated entities should make every effort to comply with their environmental compliance obligations,” but the EPA does not expect to seek penalties for violations of routine compliance […]