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.
It has been 13 years since the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published the first reports of a potentially deadly lung disease in workers at a microwave-popcorn factory. The newly identified lung disease, sometimes called “popcorn lung,” was officially dubbed bronchiolitis obliterans for its devastating effect on the lungs. It was eventually […]
Recently, we received a question regarding whether safety data sheets (SDSs) are required under OSHA’s hazard communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) for items such as drill bits. See what we had to say.
On June 30, 2007, workers at a Little General gas station and convenience store in Ghent, West Virginia, were transferring propane from an existing propane tank (that did not meet safety codes) to a new propane tank (that did meet safety codes). During the transfer, the old tank began to leak flammable propane vapor. The […]
Terry Reynolds, a 55-year-old Kansas homeowner, just wanted to relight the pilot light of his propane water heater on August 6, 2009. Unfortunately, the propane tank was leaking heavier-than-air propane gas into the water heater’s enclosure, and instead of lighting the pilot, Reynolds blew his house off its foundation and suffered burns over more than […]
EPA’s standards for pesticide containers and filling and refilling those containers are among the most unwieldy set of federal regulations under any statute. These regulations can be complex and lengthy. In this article, we’ve outlined some important points to help you better understand the regulations surrounding repackaging requirements.
For employers that handle small quantities of highly hazardous chemicals or large quantities of flammable liquids or gases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) process safety management (PSM) standard (29 CFR 1910.119) imposes extensive requirements on the handling of those substances. Until July 2015, many employers were avoiding the need to comply with those […]
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) revised Flammable Liquids standard (29 CFR 1910.106), every chemical with a flash point below 199.4°F (93°C) is flammable; the word “combustible” is no longer used. But, as before, some chemicals are more flammable than others, and storage and handling requirements are defined by flash point and boiling […]
A chemical that meets the definition of “flammable” requires special precautions in handling, use, transfer, and storage. But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has changed the definition of “flammable” throughout its general industry and construction standards to align them with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Most employers […]
Your workers have completed their medical evaluations and have been fit-tested; they know how to don and doff their respirators, how to keep them clean, and when to replace them. But do your workers know how their personal choices can impact safety when they’re wearing a respirator? Or do they just think they know? Workers […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and a number of states and organizations are calling on businesses to take part in efforts to develop, buy, and use greener products. Today we will review some of these efforts. Do you need a particulate respirator, a gas/vapor respirator, or a […]