Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
President-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate Andrew Puzder to serve as Secretary of Labor in Trump’s administration. If confirmed, he would oversee the Department of Labor and its many agencies, which include OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and many others.
When workers suffer a work-related injury or illness, they cannot generally sue their employers because of the “sole remedy” provision of workers’ compensation. But that doesn’t mean that injured employees can’t find someone to sue – usually, an employer other than their own. That’s what happened in the case of the Alaska Airlines flight attendants, […]
Yesterday we looked at the specifics of how global climate change and increasing ambient temperatures are expected to affect worker safety and health. But heat is not the only occupational health concern arising from global climate change; the Earth’s changing climate is also changing severe weather patterns around the world.
In a final rule revision, the EPA has provided petroleum and natural gas facilities (Part 98, Subpart W) subject to the Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) with a burden-reduction option for detecting GHG leaks from equipment. The amendment would allow Subpart W reporters to use monitoring methods for detecting leaks from oil and gas […]
Disputes about environmental preemption usually make news in the context of disagreements over federal versus state statutory and constitutional authority. (Note that preservation of state power was probably the major final obstacle holding up Congressional passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which reformed the federal Toxic Substances Control […]
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team indicated that E. Scott Pruitt, a Republican and the two-term attorney general (AG) of Oklahoma is Trump’s choice to serve as administrator of the EPA. As AG, Pruitt has fought relentlessly against what he perceives to be federal overreach into the rights of the states and has continually expressed the […]
Q. Because of removing excess chemical inventories one month this year, I changed from being a small quantity generator (SQG) to a large quantity generator (LQG). Which set of requirements should I comply with and for how long?
When we think about climate change, we tend to think about “big picture” impacts: rising seas that affect coastal cities, reduced snowmelt in mountainous regions leading to water shortages in the valleys below, and diminishing habitat for some endangered species. But there are smaller-scale impacts, also, and some of them will affect planning for health […]
One of the most confusing tasks for environment, health, and safety (EHS) managers has to do with recording and reporting workplace injuries. Sometimes, it is very clear when a workplace injury occurs—and sometimes, it is not so easy. In a recent letter of interpretation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) did not shed much […]
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has officially made a recommendation to limit the exposure of workers to flavoring compounds. Yesterday we reviewed the recommended exposure limit (REL) and who’s affected. Today we offer tips for controlling worker exposure to these compounds at your facility.