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In a report issued June 30, 2022, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined that the Agency does not have adequate internal controls in place to ensure that its screening process of self-disclosure violations reported through its eDisclosure system is effective and that significant concerns, such as criminal conduct and potential imminent hazards, are […]
On July 21, the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced the release of a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the BJS, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) titled “Indicators of Workplace Violence, 2019” (NCJ 250748; NIOSH 2022-124). According to the report, workplace homicides peaked […]
In the recently published Spring 2022 Unified Agenda, the EPA indicated a final rule amending National Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emission Standards for Aerosol Coatings will be issued no later than December 30, 2022. “EPA has defined VOCs as any substance which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions,” explains a JD Supra article by Mitchell, Williams, […]
Following a fatal shoplifting incident, an Orlando, Florida, Family Dollar store faces $330,446 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for willful and repeat safety violations, the agency announced July 22. On December 11, 2021, a 41-year-old store employee experienced shortness of breath and nausea after struggling with a shoplifter in a failed effort […]
On July 21, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced the launch of a heat awareness campaign called “Operation Beat the Heat.” Operation Beat the Heat is a coordinated education, outreach, and enforcement effort to protect migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) national emphasis program […]
On June 27, 2022, EPA Region 2 issued an Administrative Compliance Order to The Cliff Corp. and Grupo Caribe, LLC, to stop discharges of stormwater and runoff coming from their hotel and country club construction project in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, from flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Upon investigation of the site, the EPA found inadequate […]
A nongovernmental task force recently recommended that building owners begin taking four steps to address SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in schools and workplaces: verifying building systems are performing as designed, increasing outdoor air ventilation, upgrading air filtration, and deploying portable air cleaners where needed. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission’s Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and […]
On July 18, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the release of a new set of best practices for protecting temporary workers. The resources for host employers and staffing companies include the Protecting temporary workers: best practices for host employers manual, a checklist, and a slide deck presentation. Temporary workers, or […]
President Joseph Biden Jr. emphatically stated climate change is the “number one issue facing humanity” during his campaign and vowed to shepherd the United States through the tough changes to transition the nation away from fossil fuel use to clean energy sources during his presidency. Biden has been stalled and hampered at almost every turn […]
Twelve states and a coalition of environmental groups are fighting the EPA over lax greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for airlines in two different lawsuits at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Both suits petition the D.C. Circuit Court to review the final action by the EPA entitled “Control of Air Pollution from Airplanes and […]