Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the costs of slip, trip, and fall hazards. Did you know slips, trips, and falls cost American employers billions of dollars every year? In its 2024 Workplace Safety Index (WSI), insurer Liberty […]
Few women coal miners—around one in 200—show signs of pneumoconiosis, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers found in a recently published study. In recognition of National Miners Day on December 6, NIOSH Director John Howard, MD, highlighted the new research in his “From the Director’s Desk” column in the institute’s December eNews […]
EHS programs are critical to the overall well-being of workers, the environment, and the organization’s bottom line. They are designed to prevent accidents, reduce risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and protect the company’s reputation. However, the success of these programs hinges on a variety of factors, and one of the most important among them is the […]
On November 22, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into a September 29 chemical reaction and toxic gas release at the Bio-Lab, Inc., facility in Conyers, Georgia. The incident led to a massive fire and plume of toxic smoke that threatened the surrounding community and the […]
A federal grand jury has indicted Houston-based Phillips 66 on several charges related to alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the CWA and four counts of knowingly violating the CWA in incidents that allegedly discharged thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from the Phillips Carson oil […]
The EPA recently announced the registration of the new active ingredient glufosinate-P, which controls weeds in conventional and glufosinate-resistant field corn, sweet corn, soybean, cotton, and canola. The Agency also released its final biological evaluation for the active ingredient under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “Glufosinate-P is the first new active ingredient registration where EPA […]
Adam Quertermous serves as an EHS director at Skanska, one of the largest construction and development companies in the U.S. In his role, he works alongside a host of project stakeholders, including contractors, subcontractors, executives, unions, vendors, and more, so he knows the value of working as a team. Quertermous joined Skanska about 16 years […]
The EPA recently announced it finalized stronger requirements for identifying and cleaning up lead paint dust in pre-1978 homes and childcare facilities. “There is no safe level of lead exposure, particularly for children. In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain,” states an EPA news […]
On November 29, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) extended the deadline for public comment on its heat illness prevention proposal (89 Fed. Reg. 94631). Comments are now due January 14, 2025. The agency published its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings on […]
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Formaldehyde Panel sent a detailed letter, dated November 4, 2024, to the EPA to bring its attention to “the substantial comments submitted to the EPA from a diverse group of stakeholders and peer reviewers raising major issues with the EPA’s 2024 draft formaldehyde risk assessment.” The ACC alleges the Biden […]