Archives

When to Update Your SWPPP

Like many other EHS plans, the SWPPP is a living document that should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Whenever you find the need to change a procedure that is described in your SWPPP or to modify a control measure described in the plan, you must update the SWPPP to reflect those changes. […]

OSH Courses on Campus: The Focus Is on Real-World Learning

Colleges and universities play an important role in promoting workplace safety and health through degree and certificate courses and other programs aimed at working safety professionals. Today, we feature two such institutions. Rochester Institute of Technology (RTI) is one of the institutions that teaches OTI Education Center courses. RTI is authorized to deliver more than […]

Putting Together a Good Stormwater Pollution Prevention Team

This team is responsible for assisting the facility manager in developing the facility’s SWPPP as well as implementing and maintaining stormwater control measures. The team will be taking corrective action where necessary to address permit violations or to improve the performance of control measures, and modifying the SWPPP to reflect changes made to the control […]

NIOSH Research Predicts OSH Professional Shortfall

Today, we report on recent NIOSH study that suggests a future shortage of safety and health professionals. Last October, NIOSH published research that suggests the demand for OSH services may soon exceed the number of people available to provide it. According to the National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, employers plan to […]

Compliance Tip: Delisting Your Waste

So, for example, a waste generated at your facility may meet a listing description even though the process uses raw materials different from those  EPA assumed were used when listing the waste—as such, the waste may not contain the contaminants for which it was listed. Similarly, after treatment of a listed waste, the residues may […]

Know Your Audience

You are aware that you need to know your subject matter whenever you go into a training session. You do your homework and make sure you’re well-versed in the current safety training topic. But in order to make every training session as effective as possible, you also need to know your audience. Make sure your […]

What to Do with Old Cell Phones

Got a new iPhone or Blackberry for Christmas and wondering what to do with your old model? Don’t stick it in a drawer, and definitely don’t throw it in the trash. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to recycle your old cell phone. Cell phones and PDAs are made of precious metals, copper, […]

When Are Safe Work Rules Not Safe Enough?

If you’re relying on safe work rules to protect employees, make sure the rules are reliable. This story is based on a real court case. The names have been changed, of course, and the dialogue is imagined, what might have been said. The issues and the outcome, however, are all too real. Many workers side-step […]

Want More US Jobs? Recycle.

Recycling = US Jobs More than 56,000 recycling and reuse establishments in the United States employ approximately 1.1 million people, and generate an annual payroll of $37 billion, and gross $236 billion in annual revenues. The number of workers in the recycling industry is comparable to the automobile and truck manufacturing industry and is significantly […]

MATS Rule Overview

In this Environmental Daily Advisor video, Advisor editor Kelly Lagana talks with Tim Fagan about EPA’s Final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for Power Plants. Tim Fagan is the editor for air topics for BLR’s environmental compliance content.