Category: EHS Administration

OSHA Regional Offices Issue Heat Warnings

This week, regional Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offices in Chicago; Kansas City, Missouri; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, urged employers in the Great Lakes region, Midwest, and Dakotas to protect indoor and outdoor workers from hazards posed by excessive heat. The agency pointed to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing reports of 344 […]

CARB Releases Draft Scoping Plan

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released its Draft 2022 Scoping Plan Update for public comment on May 10, 2022. These updates describe the state’s approach to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are required every 5 years under Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The state’s current reduction goals […]

First PFAS Test Order Issued By EPA

On June 6, 2022, the EPA issued the first Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test orders to the Chemours Company, DuPont De Nemours Inc., National Foam Inc., and Johnson Controls Inc. The orders require the companies to conduct and submit testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In October 2021, the Agency announced its PFAS […]

EPA Announces Water Reuse Interagency Working Group

The EPA recently announced the formation of a Water Reuse Interagency Working Group that is charged with creating and managing actions, tools, and resources to advance the reuse of water across the United States. The group was established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “Water is an essential resource that we must protect, especially in the […]

Preparing for New Heat Regulation, Enforcement

The signs are clear that federal and state occupational safety and health officials are intently focused on the risks of excessive heat and are responding with outreach, regulation, and enforcement: California issued another “Cal/OSHA Reminder: Protect Outdoor Workers from Heat Illness During Period of Excessive Heat in California” announcement. Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration […]

SCOTUS Refuses to Reinstate Order Blocking Use of Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) declined to reinstate an order blocking the Biden administration from utilizing the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions (SC GHGs) as a key climate metric in Louisiana v. Biden on May 26, 2022. In February 2021, the U.S. Interagency Working Group (IWG) on the SC GHGs issued “Technical Support Document: […]

NSC Kicks Off National Safety Month to Protect Workers

Since 1996, National Safety Month has been observed and promoted each June by the National Safety Council (NSC) to raise awareness of the importance of keeping each other safe, from the workplace to anyplace. There are increased unintentional injuries and fatalities during the summer months, and according to the most recent data available, more than 4,100 […]

California, Oregon Alert Employers to Heat Hazards

State occupational safety and health regulators in California and Oregon reminded employers to protect workers from heat hazards and comply with their states’ heat illness prevention standards. On June 2, the Oregon Occupation​al Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA) announced the release of employer assistance resources for the state’s new heat illness prevention rule. The […]

Dollar General Stores Cited for Blocked, Padlocked Exits

On June 3, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced citations for two Dollar General stores for endangering employee safety by blocking and locking emergency exits. The agency cited the company for workplace safety violations nationwide. OSHA cited Dolgencorp, LLC, doing business as Dollar General Store, for four willful violations at its Baldwin, Wisconsin, […]

Proposed Rule Puts States Back in Power Under the CWA Permitting Process

In following President Joseph Biden Jr.’s Executive Order (EO) 13990 on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, on June 2, 2022, the EPA announced a proposed rule to update the regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Certification Rule. The proposed rule will strengthen […]