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.
Free Special Report: What to Expect from an OSHA Inspection
Every year OSHA inspects thousands of workplaces across the country. Yours could be one of them. If you know what to expect before the inspector crosses your threshold, you’ll be in the best position to handle the inspection skillfully and successfully. With a few exceptions, you won’t have advance notice of an inspection. The inspector […]
Safety is all about awareness and knowledge. Knowledge gives you the power to prevent accidents. One of the best ways to keep informed about ever-changing work area conditions is to perform routine safety inspections. Today we look at some of the legal, management, and training issues involved with self-inspections. Legal Issues BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists […]
What is the ideal safety inspection? It certainly isn’t a surprise visit from an OSHA inspector. And it’s not one that follows a safety incident. It isn’t even an inspection that’s part of a workplace safety audit. The ideal inspection is a routine that you and your employees faithfully observe and manage yourselves. Five Good […]
EPA’s new stormwater multisector general permit (MSGP) applies to industrial facilities in all or parts of dozens of U.S. states, territories, and possessions. Make sure you know whether your workplace is affected and what you need to do. In September, EPA issued a new MSGP requiring an estimated 4,100 industrial facilities in 29 different industrial […]
Life goes on after an OSHA inspection. Here are some tips for dealing with OSHA citations, and a look at a tool that can help you avoid them in the first place. Yesterday’s Advisor told you what you can expect when an OSHA inspector arrives at your facility. But when the walkaround and closing conference […]
You answer your door, and it’s an OSHA inspector. Is it your worst nightmare? Just what, exactly, should you expect? To answer these questions, we visited our sister site, Safety.BLR.com, and found some very helpful tips. An OSHA inspection is essentially a four-stage process that includes: Presentation of OSHA inspector credentials Opening meeting Inspection walkaround […]
Key Democrats in Congress say OSHA needs stiffer civil and criminal sanctions – and more active enforcement – to safeguard the American workforce. In yesterday’s Advisor, we told you about a congressional committee report that criticized the agency for failing to address the gross underreporting of occupational injuries and illnesses. The declining injury and illness […]
According to a growing number of reports, OSHA has been seriously understating workplace injuries and illnesses — and relying on flawed audits rather than addressing the problem. Don’t look now, OSHA, but the shoe is on the other foot. The agency that inspects America’s workplaces is itself coming under increasing scrutiny, with lawmakers and academics […]
The agency has announced that nearly 4,000 companies will be subject to unannounced comprehensive inspections in its 2008 Site Specific Targeting (SST) plan. Here’s how they decide on whom to honor with a visit. SST. A few years back, those letters stood for supersonic transport. Then the airlines discovered that flying bigger, slower planes beat […]
If OSHA accedes to Congressional demands and passes a dust standard for general industry, what would you need to do? A look into HR 5522 suggests an answer: Yesterday’s Advisor detailed the dustup that’s been raging in Washington over the issue of combustible dust. This dust, which can be generated in a number of industrial […]