Category: Chemicals

Today’s workplace uses thousands of chemicals, many of which are hazardous. The resources in this section will help guide you in the safe and legal identification, storage, transport, and use of these chemicals, and in making sure that your employees right to know how to be safe around such substances is provided, as required by law.

CSB Finds Six Safety Issues in Marathon Martinez Fire

A combination of technical failures and unsafe operational practices at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, California, led to a November 19, 2023, fire, according to a final report issued March 13 by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). During the facility’s initial start-up of a renewable diesel hydroprocessing unit, a […]

EPA PFAS Reporting Deadline Extended

In response to President Donald Trump’s memo titled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” the EPA delayed until March 21, 2025, the effective date of a January 2025 regulation adding nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which makes these chemicals subject to reporting requirements under the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) and […]

ACC Asks Congress to Immediately Improve TSCA Program

On January 22, 2025, in a House Subcommittee on the Environment hearing, the president of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) urged Congress to immediately make specific improvements to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) program to end industry uncertainty. The hearing, titled “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg […]

CSB Releases Update on Louisville Explosion Investigation

On February 27, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into a fatal November 12, 2024, explosion at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The explosion killed two employees and seriously injured three others, and it caused significant property damage to the facility and nearby […]

Chemical Safety Board’s YouTube Channel Hits 365K Subscribers

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s (CSB) YouTube channel, @USCSB, which features the agency’s safety videos, now has 365,000 subscribers. The CSB recently received a Silver Play Button award from YouTube for having more than 100,000 subscribers, the board announced February 14. The CSB is an independent federal government board that investigates industrial […]

EPA Releases Final Risk Determination for Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP)

On January 14, 2025, the EPA released the final risk evaluation for diisononyl phthalate (DINP), which was conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The EPA concluded that DINP presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health because workers could be exposed to high concentrations of DINP in mist when spraying adhesive, sealant, […]

The Importance of Workplace Safety in the Warehouse

Employers must implement workplace safety measures to protect the lives of their employees. Warehouse professionals must follow these measures as it is a matter of life and death. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there were more than 5,283 fatal work injuries in 2023. Warehouse professionals should wear proper protective clothing as a […]

EPA Finalizes Interim Decision on Worker Protection for Ethylene Oxide Pollution

On January 14, 2025, the EPA announced it released the Interim Decision for Ethylene Oxide (EtO), which is a pesticide used on 50% of all sterilized medical devices in the United States and on approximately 30% of dried herbs and spices. “EtO is known to cause cancer, including lymphocytic leukemia, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and […]

EPA Proposes Protection from C.I. Pigment Violet 29

The EPA recently announced it has proposed its eighth rule under the new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) process to protect workers from inhalation exposure to C.I. Pigment Violet 29 (PV29), a chemical that presents a risk of lung damage. If finalized, the rule would require respiratory protection and cleaning programs in workplaces where PV29 […]

Florida Employer Facing OSHA Penalty in Worker’s Fatality

Southeast Services of the Treasure Coast Inc., a Vero Beach, Florida, drainpipe cleaning and maintenance company, is facing a $16,131 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following a 24-year-old worker’s death, the agency announced January 16. According to OSHA, the employer could have prevented an explosion at a Port Saint Lucie worksite in June […]