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
The EPA recently issued a final rule establishing an emissions reduction and reclamation program for the management of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that includes: The regulation will impact a wide variety of industries, including those working in refrigeration, air conditioning, refrigerated transport, heat pumps, supermarkets, manufacturing, and cold storage warehouses. Many other industry types will also be […]
On October 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) declined to put a hold on a Clean Air Act (CAA) regulation for New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) that went into effect on July 8, 2024. The regulation addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs) by: “The justices denied emergency requests […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated 826 worker deaths in fiscal year (FY) 2024—an 11% reduction from 928 in the previous year, the agency announced November 4. FY 2024 ended September 30. The agency noted significant decreases in the number of fatal injuries from trench collapses and falls, two of the leading causes […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should take steps to better identify and address ergonomic hazards at warehouse and delivery companies, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in a recent report. The transportation and warehousing sector, which includes e-commerce warehouses and “last-mile” consumer delivery, had the highest serious injury and illness rate of all […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the costs of safety failures. The failure to put safety protections in place can be costly, resulting in large Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines, injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, as well […]
MFA Inc., a Missouri farm cooperative, faces a $241,887 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following an employee’s fatal engulfment in a storage bin, the agency announced October 29. The agency initiated an inspection following the employer’s fatality report and found that three employees of MFA Inc., operating as MFA Rail Car, were removing […]
On October 21, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) agreed to hear several EPA-related cases to determine which federal courts are the proper venues for specific EPA actions. The specific cases are: Although the Oklahoma and Pacificorp cases appear to be unrelated, they’ve been consolidated to determine “which courts can hear objections to a rejection […]
An administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ordered a Rochester, New York, commercial roofing company to pay $16,782 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for serious fall and ladder violations, OSHA announced October 24. The ALJ upheld the agency’s citation of Elmer W. Davis Inc. for allowing workers […]
Summer 2024 was the hottest on record—and most of the United States grappled with dangerously high temperatures throughout July and August. The country has cooled down since then. But this summer’s extreme heat was a warning sign. Earth is only getting hotter, and we’re likely to see increasingly dangerous temperatures that could put your employees […]
The Risk Matrix podcast, by Veriforce, released a timely episode about preparing for an OSHA inspection. It was an excellent discussion led by two of the most well-known safety leaders in the U.S., Dr. L.F. Martin, and James Junkin. You don’t have to complicate your safety management system. To protect your workers, you must comply […]