Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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.
In June 2023, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International, et al. v. EPA that eliminated the Agency’s authority to enact “complementary” implementation measures regarding the regulation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs). The ruling also upheld the EPA’s authority to regulate HFCs and HFOs. […]
On July 17, 2023, the EPA announced proposed new regulations for the solvent carbon tetrachloride (CTC). The proposed regulations would impose new restrictions and ban some uses of CTC to better protect workers and communities. CTC is a solvent used in commercial settings as a raw material for producing other chemicals like hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) used […]
For our latest Faces of EHS profile, we sat down with Scott Selasky to discuss how he got his start in the industry, learning from new technology, and updating safety standards. Tune in to hear his insights.
On June 22, 2023, 3M Company announced a momentous $10.3 billion settlement in its mass torts lawsuit with thousands of plaintiffs over the company’s alleged contamination of municipal drinking water by per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Subject to court approval, the agreement: Provides funding for public water systems (PWS) across […]
Many parts of the country are experiencing significant rainfall that’s leading to widespread flooding and catastrophic damage in some areas. In addition, the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, is underway. Hurricanes are often accompanied by a storm surge that can also lead to significant flooding, so it’s important for […]
On July 6, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report on a fatal incident on December 8, 2020, at Optima Belle LLC in Belle, West Virginia. The board also recently closed two other investigations. During Optima Belle’s production of a sanitizing compound for Clearon Corporation, a dryer at the […]
On June 8, 2023, the EPA proposed a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ban most uses of perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical known to cause serious health risks such as neurotoxicity and cancer. The proposed rule bans all consumer uses of the chemical while allowing for many industrial/commercial uses to continue only […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a final report on a hydrogen chloride (HCl) release at the Wacker Polysilicon North American facility in Charleston, Tennessee. A worker was fatally injured in the incident. The CSB found that at the time of the incident in November 2020, there were multiple contract workers […]
In May, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen of the U.S. District Court in Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) in its use of fire-retardant materials in areas with waterways without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The judge also ruled the USFS can continue to use […]
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 […]