Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The goal of EPA‘s universal waste rule (40 CFR 273) is to reduce the amount of hazardous waste items in the municipal solid waste wastestream and encourage recycling and proper disposal of certain common or widely generated hazardous wastes. Wastes regulated under the universal waste rules include: Batteries Pesticides Thermostats Fluorescent and high-intensity discharge lamps […]
February 5 to 11 is Burn Awareness Week, so mark the occasion by training your workers on how to prevent getting burned on the job. Two common types of burns in the workplace are electrical and chemical. Customize the training information in this tip to the burn hazards that are present in your workplace. Regarding […]
According to Ana, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) says industry should start preparing for the next big REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and restriction of Chemicals) registration deadline. Companies manufacturing or importing chemicals in Europe—in quantities at or above 100 tons per year—are required to register such substances with ECHA by May 31, 2013. Enhance the […]
The GHS amendments will: Modify the criteria for classifying chemical hazards. Standardize signal words, pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements for chemical labeling. Prescribe a specified format for material safety data sheets (MSDS) and call them “safety data sheets,” or SDSs Revise the requirements for employee training on chemical labels and safety data sheets to […]
Which EHS activities should you focus on when developing reliable metrics? It depends on your goals and what you want to accomplish. The items listed here provide some examples. Here are some suggestions from Michael D. Lawrence, who presents the BLR webinar "EHS Metrics: How To Measure What Matters Most To Drive Safety In Your […]
BLR® Legal Editor, Tim Fagan, tells us that in 2012, EPA will continue to regulate air emissions from the largest sources of pollution, as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule controlling NOx and SO2 from power plants will go into effect (pending resolution of the D.C. appeals court stay of the rule); the utility MACT controlling […]
By Elizabeth Dickinson, J.D. BLR Legal Editor Referred to by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the Hazardous Waste Report (EPA Form 8700-13 A/B), and by those in the environmental management field as the Biennial Report, the report must be submitted by March 1 of every even-numbered year with information of the facility’s hazardous […]
So, why do you need metrics anyway? What can you do with them once you have them? “What gets measured, gets done,” says Michael D. Lawrence, of Summit Safety Technologies and speaker of BLR’s upcoming webinar “EHS Metrics: How to Measure What Matters Most To Drive Safety in Your Organization.” The webinar is on Wednesday, […]
Does the calculation of total oil storage volume include all oil contained in drums and totes and all oil contained in storage tanks and all contained in process tanks? In other words, are we adding it all up? Yes. I would say “yes,” again, with a caveat that if you have it in containers less […]
Winter brings with it man special hazards. Train your employees to cope with cold temps and severe weather. Keeping warm and dry outside in severe winter weather is essential for protecting health. Everyone should know how to keep safe in severe weather and cold temperatures because you never know when you’ll be caught outside or […]