Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Discount retail chain Dollar General entered into a corporatewide settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), agreeing to make significant workplace safety improvements in stores nationwide, the agency announced July 11. Dollar General agreed to pay $12 million in penalties and implement corporatewide changes that would make employee safety a priority, according […]
With weather warming up and frost advisories fading into the distance, we’re entering peak growing season in the agricultural sector. These crucial months mean the bulk of revenue for farmers, but they bring with them a host of workplace safety issues. Now is the time to invest in both training and ergonomic monitoring measures to […]
In the second quarter (Q2), the EPA finalized 388 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a large increase in enforcement actions—up from 235 penalties—issued in Q1 for 2024. The actions taken resulted in $11,061,445 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. CAA violations yield biggest fine from […]
In any environment where safety and well-being are accounted for, effective visitor management plays a crucial role. This is particularly true in settings such as construction sites, clinics, manufacturing facilities, and a range of workplaces in which controlling access and ensuring a safe environment are top priorities. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to carry out inspections and issue citations to employers that expose workers to hazardous conditions. We’ve summarized some of the key enforcement cases from the past few months for a look at where OSHA is focusing its efforts. Food processor supplier fined $1.7 million An Ohio-based food […]
Water is an important resource, but there are serious concerns about the contamination of drinking water with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” With that in mind, the Song of the Week’s is PJ Harvey’s dark and foreboding 1995 classic “Down by the Water.” The song is the first single from […]
After a shipping container weighing more than 4 tons fell and struck an employee at a jobsite near Tuscaloosa, Ballard Contractors Inc., a Moundville, Alabama, concrete contractor, entered into an informal settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to resolve citations and penalties, the agency announced July 9. OSHA investigators learned […]
Trade associations and public water utilities have wasted no time in filing lawsuits to stop EPA regulations requiring maximum containment levels (MCL) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced it issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to […]
Last month, the EPA demonstrated that stopping the installation of aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines remains a top enforcement priority. These defeat devices are “aftermarket parts or software, such as modified exhausts or chip tuning products and services, that inhibit or bypass a vehicle’s emissions controls,” according to MotorTrend. On June 4, 2024, […]
Thompson Hardwoods Inc., a Hazlehurst, Georgia, sawmill, is facing $267,327 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a 24-year-old employee suffered fatal injuries while working with a woodchipper, the agency announced July 2. OSHA investigators found that the worker suffered serious injuries when the equipment activated while he tried to clear a log jam. After coworkers […]