Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.
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Guam contractor Giant Construction Corp. faces $1,038,918 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for trenching violations. Federal inspectors found employees working in trenches deeper than 5 feet without required safety equipment. Giant Construction, a Tamuning contractor, was installing sewer lines in multiple trenches at a worksite in the Palisades Subdivision Project in Tiyan. […]
With the EPA finalizing the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the next obvious question becomes: Who is legally liable for both the consequences of their presence and the cost of removing these chemicals from drinking water? The U.S. Senate Committee on […]
On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced it issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” Exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to […]
Faurecia Emissions Control Systems NA LLC, a Franklin, Ohio, automotive components supplier, faces $314,555 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a 26-year-old employee was fatally crushed, the agency announced April 16. The employer exposed machine operators to struck-by and caught-between hazards, according to OSHA. Investigators determined that the employer failed to include […]
Most contractors are familiar with pulling construction stormwater general permits (CGP) when a project will disturb more than 1 acre of land. However, it’s also important to note there are some instances when a permit is still required on projects that “disturb” less than an acre of land. Additionally, some projects also require federal and […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how the Department of Labor handles safety litigation. When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites an employer for safety and health violations, the employer may simply document steps taken […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Belle Glade, Florida, farm labor contractor McNeill Labor Management Inc. in the heatstroke death of a migrant sugar cane farmworker, the agency announced April 15. Because there’s no federal standard for heat exposures or heat illness prevention and the agency cites employers under the General Duty Clause […]
A measure signed into law recently by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that prohibits local workplace standards requiring drinking water and cooling measures increases the risk of worker deaths from heat exposure, according to worker safety advocates. “The bill in Florida threatens to strip millions of workers of fundamental heat protection measures, such as access to […]
On March 21, 2024, a federal appeals court ruled the EPA overstepped its authority in ordering Inhance Technologies, LLC, to stop producing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during the fluorination of plastic containers. Background On December 1, 2023, the EPA issued orders to Inhance, a Houston-based plastics treatment company, directing it not to produce PFAS […]
A Camden, New Jersey, auto recycler and auto parts supplier will pay $868,628 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties as part of a settlement agreement with the Department of Labor, OSHA announced April 11. The settlement with Auto Store LLC, which does business as My Auto Store, following litigation was prompted by OSHA’s […]