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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A coalition of environmental groups filed suit against the EPA on September 3, 2024, challenging the Agency’s final emissions rule for coke ovens and coke oven batteries. The coalition includes the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), the Clean Air Council, the Hoosier Environmental Council, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, PANIC, PennFuture, and the Sierra Club […]
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 respiratory protection requirements. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) respiratory protection standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1910.134) is one of its top 10 most-cited standards. In […]
The EPA recently announced a settlement with All American Asphalt over claims the company failed to provide complete and accurate reports of its releases of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), potentially toxic chemicals that can harm human health, from its asphalt manufacturing plant in Irvine, California, during 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Although these releases were […]
South Marine Systems of Westlake, Ohio, faces $164,540 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a large fire erupted in the cargo hold of the Cuyahoga, a commercial iron ore vessel moored at the Port of Ashtabula, the agency announced September 16. According to OSHA, workers narrowly avoided disaster after a large fire […]
The construction industry fall protection standard remained the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most frequently cited standard for the 14th straight year, the agency announced September 17 at the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in Orlando. Two days after OSHA announced its annual “top 10” list of most cited standards, the […]
On September 17, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to concerns about the agency’s rulemaking on emergency response and its potential impact on voluntary emergency responders. On February 5, OSHA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for an emergency response standard to replace its decades-old fire brigades standard. Federal OSHA doesn’t directly […]
Strauss Feeds LLC, a Watertown, Wisconsin, animal food manufacturer, faces $161,332 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for exposing its employees to the risks of explosions, fires, and long-term respiratory illnesses from excessive amounts of airborne dust, the agency announced September 12. OSHA inspectors cited Strauss Feeds with two dozen violations, including 19 […]
Drug testing is required for safety-sensitive transportation occupations, including commercial motor vehicle drivers. Here’s what you need to know about drug testing requirements in transportation.
Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, will address the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in Orlando on September 16, the NSC announced August 28. Parker, who heads the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), will speak about “Safety as a Core Value.” The conference and expo will […]
The EPA recently announced it’s conducting another round of helicopter flyovers to survey oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin region. Approximately 40% of the United States’ oil supply is produced in the Permian Basin, which includes large Texas cities such as Midland and Odessa. The EPA uses flyovers to locate “super emitters,” which […]