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
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) and the criteria for an SVEP case. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is well known for not only setting the standards for safety, […]
On July 11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it issued a pair of six-figure fines to employers in Missouri and New Jersey. BCP Ingredients Inc., located in Verona, Missouri, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Balchem Corp., faces the larger of the fines—$393,798—after agency inspectors found dozens of serious safety and health […]
On July 6, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report on a fatal incident on December 8, 2020, at Optima Belle LLC in Belle, West Virginia. The board also recently closed two other investigations. During Optima Belle’s production of a sanitizing compound for Clearon Corporation, a dryer at the […]
Rex Lumber LLC faces $184,385 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a 20-year-old worker trying to clear a jammed roller in its Troy, Alabama, sawmill was crushed and killed after stored energy caused the infeed unit to close on him, the agency announced July 5. OSHA issued a willful citation for allowing […]
On June 9, 2023, the EPA reported on its analysis of operations at Suncor petroleum refinery in Commerce City, Colorado. The analysis was undertaken because Suncor reported more air pollution incidents compared with other refineries. The Suncor analysis serves as a case study for industry to use to prevent similar compliance issues. The Agency reported […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 28 that an administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled that Shawn D. Purvis is personally responsible for $1,572,340 in OSHA fines. Purvis, who does business as Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc., willfully exposed roofing workers to fall hazards at […]
On June 26, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced citations for two Half Moon Bay farms where seven workers were shot and killed January 23. Cal/OSHA cited California Terra Garden, Inc., for 22 violations, including 5 serious and 1 serious, accident-related for failing to have a plan or procedures to immediately […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced “shocking” findings of a workplace safety investigation into a behavioral health and substance disorder facility in Jacksonville, Fla. According to the federal probe, workers at the UHS of Delaware Inc.-Wekiva Springs Center LLC (operating as Wekiva Springs Hospital) were assaulted, confined by patients, and suffered broken bones, concussions, and […]
In May, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen of the U.S. District Court in Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) in its use of fire-retardant materials in areas with waterways without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The judge also ruled the USFS can continue to use […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 22 that Dollar Tree Inc. is facing $294,668 in new OSHA fines following the agency’s inspection of a Coventry, Rhode Island, store. In response to a complaint, inspectors found store employees were exposed to slip and trip hazards created by haphazardly stacked boxes that were falling […]