Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Here’s a scenario: 4 years ago, your safety manager became seriously ill. He continued to work for you for several more years, but had a lot of absences and wasn’t as proficient as he had been before. Eventually, his health forced him into retirement, and at that point, you discovered that your Log 300 records […]
Acting on a complaint in June 2016, the OSHA found employees of one of the area’s largest general contractors working in an unprotected 10-foot deep excavation at a suburban New Jersey high school, in violation of federal safety and health laws. As a result, OSHA issued citations for nine violations—one willful and eight serious—to the […]
There has been considerable interest in how the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) would address the Corps/EPA June 2015 final Definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule in its reissued set of nationwide permits (NWPs). Now published, the Corps’s final NWP rule essentially disassociates itself from the WOTUS rule pending the outcome of […]
Yesterday we looked at some ways to make the workplace safer even when major capital improvements or equipment purchases are just not in the cards. Today we’ll look at another area that tends to get back-burnered when funds run low: training. Training is not just a matter of cash outlay, it’s also a matter of […]
On December 5, 2016, the American Water Works Association and the National Association of Water Companies (AWWA/NAWC) filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, asking the court to order the EPA to reopen its Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category (ELGs, November […]
If you’re looking to jump start an occupational safety and health program, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has some help for you. The institute, and its Total Worker Health initiative, have released a workbook with valuable information and recommendations. Keep reading for details.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a final rule reducing the decades-old beryllium exposure limits. The standards apply to general industry, shipyards, and construction.
Maybe you’re approaching the end of the fiscal year. Maybe your company was just acquired, and everything is on hold while things shake out. Maybe your company was affected by floods, wildfires, or some other recent disaster. Whatever the reason, there’s just no money to replace that big piece of process equipment or rolling stock […]
On the first day of the 115th Congress, Republicans promptly introduced legislation to explicitly weaken the powers of federal agencies in promulgating regulations. For example, in the House or Representatives, the Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 5) brings together six separate reform bills that have already passed the House in the previous Congress. H.R. 5 is […]
The EPA recently published a summary of comments it received at three meetings held to inform the public about the Agency’s upcoming proposed regulations to prevent spills of hazardous chemicals from onshore facilities and to contain spills that do occur.