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State Farm, the largest homeowners insurance company in California, recently announced it would stop “accepting new applications including all business and personal lines property and casualty insurance, effective May 27, 2023.” The company said the decision was made “due to historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation, rapidly growing catastrophe exposure, and a challenging reinsurance […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 16 that snack food maker Hostess Brands faces $298,010 in proposed fines following a worker’s amputation injury. The 29-year-old worker suffered an amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump at a Hostess facility in Chicago—an injury Hostess could have prevented by shutting down and locking […]
An Illinois pizza manufacturer is facing $2,812,658 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties and has been placed in the agency’s severe violator enforcement program (SVEP) after a 29-year-old sanitation worker died while cleaning a conveyor. A temporary worker employed by XCEL Staffing Solutions LLC in Waukegan was using compressed air to clean a […]
In May, WildEarth Guardians filed suit against the EPA in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The purpose of the suit is to compel the EPA to revise Houston-based Targas Resources Corp’s operating permits in the Permian Basin. On November 16, 2022, in response to Guardians’ petitions to the EPA, the […]
The EPA has ordered chemical company Chemours to take corrective measures to address pollution from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in stormwater and effluent discharges from the Washington Works facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia. The order on consent also directs Chemours to characterize the extent of PFAS contamination from discharges. This action marks the first […]
Since the EPA announced its Phase 3 proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, there has been significant political and industry pushback. “Part of EPA’s proposal is to electrify 25% of new long-haul trucks by 2032, as well as 35% of new short-haul regional tractors and 50% of vocational vehicles,” says Overdrive Online. […]
While touring the Port of Savannah, Georgia, on May 5, 2023, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the initial steps in the development of programs that will invest $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in U.S. port infrastructure while reducing air pollution and advancing President Joseph Biden Jr.’s commitment to environmental justice. Ports […]
Despite concerted efforts to reduce both serious injury and death on the job, workplace fatality rates in the United States have remained largely unchanged over the past three decades. To help reverse this devastating development and assist organizations on their safety journeys, the National Safety Council (NSC) recently released a white paper through its Work to […]
On June 9, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged employers to protect outdoor workers from the hazards of poor air quality. “Wildfire smoke exposure can create major health hazards for outdoor workers. These hazards can be reduced with knowledge, safe work practices, and appropriate personal protective equipment,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor […]
On June 8, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it has again cited discount retailers Dollar General and Dollar Tree for repeat exit route and other violations. Dollar Tree Inc., operator of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores, is facing $98,219 in new OSHA penalties for a repeat violation following the agency’s inspection […]