Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Temporary workers are a high-risk group for serious injuries and illnesses. One way to help ensure that they don’t fall through the cracks between the leasing agency’s safety program and the host employer’s safety program is for both employers to implement an effective I2P2 program. Yesterday, we looked at the regulatory requirements that cover I2P2 […]
Ethanol is a renewable, domestically produced fuel that can be made from grains, such as corn or wheat, or from cellulose sources, such as prairie grass or agricultural, forestry, or municipal wastes. In the United States, ethanol is primarily made from corn. EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks regulates tanks storing petroleum and biofuels. Under […]
Sometimes, two heads are better than one. It ought to be that way with temporary workers, who have essentially two employers, both of whom are supposed to be looking out for their safety. But in practice, miscommunication and poorly defined responsibilities lead to gaps in worker training, hazard identification, and supervision that have served to […]
Some of us remember what it was like before the first Earth Day, and all of us have been exposed to the lore. For example: Visible smog enveloping our major cities. Native-American chieftains crying in canoes afloat burning rivers. Brown sludge and odor emanating from industrial complexes—some residents of communities with such facilities referring to […]
In a BLR webinar titled “Worker Safety: How to Implement Truly Effective Training That Reduces Injuries, Costs, and Lawsuits,” Michael D. Lawrence of Summit Safety Technologies discussed how businesses can improve their training programs. Employee engagement is very important in ensuring transfer and retention of knowledge. That’s because employee engagement: Drives customer loyalty, which creates […]
As a generator of HSM, you ultimately decide whether the material is safely managed. The decision to send your HSMs to an off-site recycling business should be followed by a careful review of the qualifications of available recyclers. Improper management can increase liability of the originating company (remember RCRA’s “cradle-to-grave” mandate). Environmental managers investigating recycling […]
Each year, fire erupts at some 70,000 U.S. workplaces, killing 200 employees, injuring thousands, and causing billions of dollars in property damage. Most workplace fires are the result of human behavior rather than equipment failure, which means they can be prevented with a proactive program reinforced by training. Yesterday, we looked at the major causes […]
New Definition of ‘Sham Recycling’ Sham recycling refers to claims by a hazardous waste generator that the waste is being recycled when it is in fact being discarded. A new definition at 40 CFR 261.2(g) codifies EPA’s concept of sham recycling: “A hazardous secondary material found to be sham recycled is considered discarded and a […]
It was around 4 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, when the AMF bowling alley in Huntsville, Alabama, caught fire. As a cloud of smoke spread over the sleeping city, firefighters entered the building to fight the blaze, which is believed to have started in the bowling alley’s kitchen. While the firefighters moved through the building, […]
In the June 11, 2014, Federal Register (FR), the EPA published an Information Collection Request (updated in the October 14, 2014, FR) asking for public comment concerning the hazardous waste generator rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Specifically, the Agency asked that the comments address the following components of the generator rules: […]