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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IBC Engineered Materials Inc., a Wilmington, Massachusetts, manufacturer, overexposed employees to airborne concentrations of beryllium, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced October 11. IBC, which does business as IBC Advanced Alloys Inc., was cited for 11 serious violations and 1 other-than-serious violation for the hazardous conditions and faces proposed penalties totaling $69,251. Employees […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to carry out inspections and issue citations to employers that expose workers to hazardous conditions. We’ve summarized some of the key enforcement cases from the past few months for a look at where OSHA is focusing its efforts. National discount retailer fined $1.35 million OSHA entered a […]
In the third quarter (Q3), the EPA finalized 515 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant increase in enforcement actions—up from 260 penalties—issued in Q2 for 2023. The actions taken resulted in $14,629,489 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. RCRA violations yield biggest fine from […]
Pennsylvania candy maker R.M. Palmer Co. failed to evacuate its employees after some reported smelling gas before a March 2023 explosion that killed seven workers at the company’s West Reading facility, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced October 5. The agency has cited R.M. Palmer with three serious and five other-than-serious workplace safety […]
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su will join American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) President Jim Thornton and New York Governor Kathy Hochul on October 11 to dedicate a memorial in New York City to the 146 garment workers killed in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the ASSP announced September 27. The ASSP was […]
An Augusta, Georgia, battery manufacturer faces $160,727 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for exposing employees to unsafe levels of lead, the agency announced September 27. OSHA made its determination based on personal air monitoring of workers and lead accumulation on respirators and counters in areas where workers took their lunch breaks. The […]
An Oklahoma contractor agreed to pay $370,680 in criminal and civil penalties to avoid federal prosecution for a worker’s fatal fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced September 27. Skinner Tank Company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on one count of ignoring federal safety regulations that resulted in a worker fatality in […]
On September 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an enforcement and compliance assistance initiative aimed at silica exposures in the engineered stone fabrication and installation industries. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have identified silica dust exposure as a health hazard for workers in manufacturing, finishing, and […]
A 19-year-old worker in Florida suffered fatal injuries after a concrete mixer restarted while the teen tried to clean the machine’s inside. Now, Newnan, Georgia-based Foley Products Company faces $245,546 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for one willful and six serious violations, the agency announced September 20. OSHA inspectors determined that two […]
On September 6, 2023, the EPA announced it reached a settlement with Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor) resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) fuels requirements at Suncor’s Commerce City, Colorado, refining operations. Suncor will pay a $160,660 civil penalty and has agreed to implement a supplemental environmental project, which requires the company to […]