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
On March 21, 2024, the EPA announced the release of its 2022 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis showing that environmental releases of TRI chemicals from facilities covered by the program were 21% lower in 2022 compared with 2013, which included a 26% decrease in air releases. The data shows releases from manufacturing facilities decreased […]
Grocery store Trader Joe’s is facing a $216,902 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine for safety violations at its Greenwood Village, Colorado, location, the agency announced April 10. OSHA cited Trader Joe’s for a lack of adequate safety training for forklift operators and failing to inspect forklifts at the Greenwood Village facility. The chain […]
On March 14, 2024, EPA Administrator Michael Regan signed a final rule requiring certain facilities to develop facility response plans (FRP) for a worst-case discharge of Clean Water Act (CWA) hazardous substances or the threat of such a discharge. Worst-case discharges are defined as the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions, including extreme weather […]
In the first quarter (Q1), the EPA finalized 235 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a slight increase in enforcement actions—up from 206 penalties—issued in Q4 for 2023. The actions taken resulted in $8,002,246 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. RCRA violations yield biggest fine from […]
After workers at a Commerce, Georgia, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility suffered potentially permanent respiratory damage in a lithium battery fire, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited SK Battery America Inc. a second time in less than a year and seeks $77,200 in new penalties, the agency announced April 8. Following the fire, […]
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. ‘Severe violator’ cited again for machine hazards An Alabama […]
The Austin, Texas-based subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest producers of manufactured and modular homes faces $272,479 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for more than two dozen serious violations, the agency announced April 3. The agency cited Palm Harbor Homes, a subsidiary of Cavco Industries, Inc., with 25 serious and two […]
On April 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended its regulations for employee representatives during agency workplace inspections (89 Fed. Reg. 22558). The April 1 amendments make two changes to workplace walkaround regulations: OSHA’s revised regulations take effect May 31. OSHA compliance safety and health officers (CSHO) still have discretion over whether to […]
A senior vice president and two managers at PrimeLending, a national mortgage lender, were ordered to pay $35,000 in emotional damages and legal fees to two company whistleblowers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced March 27. OSHA investigators found that the nationwide lender violated whistleblower provisions of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) by […]
HBD Thermoid Inc., an Ohio industrial hose manufacturer, faces $321,489 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties, the agency announced March 26. Following OSHA’s eighth investigation into HBD Thermoid since 2013, the agency cited the employer with 14 new violations at its Bellefontaine, Ohio, manufacturing facility—one willful, 11 serious, and two other-than-serious. Safety […]