Category: Regulatory Developments

EPA Issues Stricter Methane Regulations for the Oil and Gas Industry

On December 2, 2023, the EPA announced a final rule that’s expected to sharply reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollution from oil and natural gas operations. First announced at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), the rule includes standards to reduce methane and […]

California Revises Indoor Heat Standard Proposal

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB), which sets workplace safety and health standards for the state, released revised text of its draft standard for heat illness prevention in indoor spaces. The board updated its draft standard in response to comments made in an earlier draft. Changes to the proposed regulation include: Comments […]

ASSP Updates Safety Standard for Communications Structures

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has published a revision to its voluntary national consensus safety standard covering the latest safety practices and training recommendations for the construction, demolition, modification, and maintenance of communication structures. The updated ANSI/ASSP A10.48 standard will be effective on January 1, 2024. The digital standard establishes minimum criteria that […]

White House Releases Workplace Drug Use, Overdose Guidance

On November 9, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released employer guidance and resources to address problems posed by workplace substance use and overdoses. Substance use in the workplace is widespread, according to the White House employer guidance. In 2021, 26.9 million Americans aged 18 or older with a substance use […]

OSHA, NLRB Sign Whistleblower Enforcement Agreement

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) signed an agreement outlining procedures for information-sharing, referrals, training, and outreach to bolster federal antiretaliation protections and strengthen the agencies’ partnership, OSHA and the NLRB announced October 31. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) enables OSHA and the Board to cooperate in […]

New CA Law Requires Workplace Violence Prevention Plans

A new law recently enacted in California requires employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan and could prove influential if other states follow suit. On Sept. 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 553 into law, requiring nearly all businesses to have their plans in place by July 1, 2024. Exempted from the law are […]

What We Learned From…the 2023 NSC Safety Congress

Last week, safety professionals congregated in New Orleans for the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. EHS Daily Advisor was on the scene, attending sessions and visiting booths in the expo hall. Here are some of our takeaways from the event: Jay Kumar, EHSDA Editor-in-Chief Grace Hatfield, EHSDA Editor

The Latest in the HFC Crusade

On October 6, 2023, the EPA announced two regulations in the continued crusade to phase down the use of super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The first new action is a final rule to accelerate the ongoing transition to more efficient and climate-safe technologies in new refrigeration, heating, and cooling systems and other products by restricting the use […]

OSHA Officials Discuss Rulemaking Efforts, Focus on Heat Illness

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is busy on several rulemaking fronts, but it’s devoting considerable resources to heat illness prevention, according to OSHA officials speaking at the NSC Safety Congress and Expo in New Orleans this week. Andrew Levinson, director, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, said OSHA’s regulatory agenda includes an update […]

Proposed Regulatory Changes May Double Methane Reporting

An analysis conducted by Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR), a subsidiary of the energy-focused software-as-a-service firm Enverus, predicts that proposed changes to Subpart W of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program “would more than double 2021 reported methane and increase overall carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 41%,” an EIR news release states. Purpose of the revisions The […]