Archives

Go Beyond Training for Loading and Unloading Cargo Tank Vehicles

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), more than one-third of hazardous materials transportation violations involve the failure of employers to provide training or maintain employee training records. In most cases, violations are attributed to failure to provide function-specific training. Aside from providing the required training for loading and unloading cargo tank vehicles, there […]

Four Tips for Loading and Unloading Cargo Tanks

A driver miscommunicates critical information to facility personnel during delivery of corrosive material that was then unloaded into the wrong storage tank containing incompatible materials. Adding to the confusion, it’s the driver’s first delivery to this location. The comingling of incompatible materials emits a vapor affecting the breathing of the driver and facility employee resulting […]

Traffic Deaths Show a Steep Rise for the First Time in Years

There was a sharp increase in traffic deaths during the first nine months of 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). What can you do to keep your employees safe on the roads?

Metalworking Fluids: Good for the Work, Bad for the Workers

Some hazardous chemical exposures are easy to identify. When workers are involved in spray-finishing operations, they obviously risk exposure to paint-related aerosols. When workers in a laboratory are pipetting chemical reagents, they obviously need to take precautions against exposure. Some exposures are far less obvious—but that doesn’t necessarily make them any less dangerous.

The Quest for Zero: Safety Spark Plug or Trendy Gimmick?

For years, the safety community has discussed and debated the merits of a safety process that aims to eradicate all injuries, incidents, and fatalities. How reasonable is it to aim for the very pinnacle of safety achievement? Is the goal too lofty to inspire change? Could it actually hamper your efforts?

Hazwaste Pharmaceutical Rule—What They’re Saying, cont’d

Last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule that would make significant changes to regulatory requirements for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. Comments were accepted until December 24, 2015. Yesterday we reviewed some comments from healthcare facilities. Today we will look at some comments from pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers. All […]

Hazwaste Pharmaceutical Rule—What They’re Saying

Last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule that would make significant changes to regulatory requirements for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. Comments were accepted until December 24, 2015. Let’s take a look at what a sampling of stakeholders had to say about EPA’s proposed amendments to the management of […]

Webinar Wrap-Up: Navigating the Hazardous Waste Recycling Rules

In a recent webinar titled “Hazardous Waste Recycling: Uncover Cost-Effective and Legally Compliant Strategies for Your Organization’s Program,” speaker Philip Comella, Esq., head of the Environmental, Safety and Toxic Torts Group in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, voiced what many have suspected: that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste recycling […]