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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Pushback against the EPA’s new regulations for maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water continues to accelerate, with state and public drinking water system officials claiming the costs of removal will be much more than the EPA estimates. PFAS drinking water regulations In April, the EPA finalized the first-ever […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to comply with hearing conservation requirements. Do you have a hearing conservation program in place to protect your employees from workplace noise exposure? Are you taking the necessary steps to prevent […]
Elmer Miller, an Illinois construction contractor operating as Miller Building Systems LLC, faces $354,912 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after the agency again found workers were exposed to falls from elevation at four jobsites. The agency cited Miller with four willful fall protection violations, OSHA announced July 12. Agency investigators observed violations […]
Discount retail chain Dollar General entered into a corporatewide settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), agreeing to make significant workplace safety improvements in stores nationwide, the agency announced July 11. Dollar General agreed to pay $12 million in penalties and implement corporatewide changes that would make employee safety a priority, according […]
In the second quarter (Q2), the EPA finalized 388 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a large increase in enforcement actions—up from 235 penalties—issued in Q1 for 2024. The actions taken resulted in $11,061,445 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. CAA violations yield biggest fine from […]
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. Food processor supplier fined $1.7 million An Ohio-based food […]
After a shipping container weighing more than 4 tons fell and struck an employee at a jobsite near Tuscaloosa, Ballard Contractors Inc., a Moundville, Alabama, concrete contractor, entered into an informal settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to resolve citations and penalties, the agency announced July 9. OSHA investigators learned […]
Trade associations and public water utilities have wasted no time in filing lawsuits to stop EPA regulations requiring maximum containment levels (MCL) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced it issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to […]
Last month, the EPA demonstrated that stopping the installation of aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines remains a top enforcement priority. These defeat devices are “aftermarket parts or software, such as modified exhausts or chip tuning products and services, that inhibit or bypass a vehicle’s emissions controls,” according to MotorTrend. On June 4, 2024, […]
Thompson Hardwoods Inc., a Hazlehurst, Georgia, sawmill, is facing $267,327 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a 24-year-old employee suffered fatal injuries while working with a woodchipper, the agency announced July 2. OSHA investigators found that the worker suffered serious injuries when the equipment activated while he tried to clear a log jam. After coworkers […]