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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 22 that Dollar Tree Inc. is facing $294,668 in new OSHA fines following the agency’s inspection of a Coventry, Rhode Island, store. In response to a complaint, inspectors found store employees were exposed to slip and trip hazards created by haphazardly stacked boxes that were falling […]
On May 24, 2023, the EPA issued guidance for correctly applying hazardous waste and recycling regulations in the disposal of lithium-ion batteries. These types of batteries are used in cars, electronics, lawnmowers, e-scooters, electric bicycles, and many other devices, and usage of these types of batteries continues to increase. “The growth of the circular economy […]
On June 1, 2023, the EPA issued a final rule to update confidential business information (CBI) requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that increases transparency, modernizes the reporting and review procedures for CBI, and aligns with the 2016 amendments to TSCA. “The final rule allows EPA to release non-confidential information more quickly, demonstrating […]
Rusti Dyals is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) with 20 years of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) experience across FM, forest product and semi-conductor industries. She currently serves as ESFM’s National Director of Environment, Health & Safety. Before that, she successfully supported a national […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 20 it cited JBS Green Bay Inc. with four repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations after a worker at a Wisconsin meat processing plant suffered crushing injuries to his right index and middle fingers while removing a shackle from a cow moving down a trolley […]
State Farm, the largest homeowners insurance company in California, recently announced it would stop “accepting new applications including all business and personal lines property and casualty insurance, effective May 27, 2023.” The company said the decision was made “due to historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation, rapidly growing catastrophe exposure, and a challenging reinsurance […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 16 that snack food maker Hostess Brands faces $298,010 in proposed fines following a worker’s amputation injury. The 29-year-old worker suffered an amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump at a Hostess facility in Chicago—an injury Hostess could have prevented by shutting down and locking […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine PSAP and EOC facilities and the differences between them. Public safety answering points (PSAPs) and emergency operations centers (EOCs) are critical facilities that provide essential services to the community during emergency […]
Wildfire smoke exposure and heat-related illnesses like heat stroke are recognized occupational health hazards. Are you doing all you can to protect your employees from these summertime risks? While there are no federal standards for heat illness prevention or wildfire smoke exposure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a rulemaking to establish a […]
An Illinois pizza manufacturer is facing $2,812,658 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties and has been placed in the agency’s severe violator enforcement program (SVEP) after a 29-year-old sanitation worker died while cleaning a conveyor. A temporary worker employed by XCEL Staffing Solutions LLC in Waukegan was using compressed air to clean a […]