Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
It has been clear for some time that deregulatory actions at the federal level will slow but not stop the decline of coal as an energy source in the United States. Still, the EPA continues to do what it can to ensure that coal remains a key component of the nation’s energy portfolio.
A hazmat employee is a person who is employed by a hazardous materials employer and “directly affects hazardous materials transportation safety.” Now, the regs also provide examples of hazmat employees to be sure you follow the rules. Examples include, those who load, unload, or otherwise handle hazmats; operators of vehicles transporting hazmats; employees who test, […]
PHSMA regulations say that, hazmat training must ensure that: “… a hazmat employee has familiarity with the general provisions of this subchapter, is able to recognize and identify hazardous materials, has knowledge of specific requirements of this subchapter applicable to functions performed by the employee, and has knowledge of emergency response information, self-protection measures, and […]
The EPA is proposing not to use its authority under Section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) to impose financial responsibility requirements on facilities in the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution sector.
On September 17, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted an administrative stay on the EPA’s implementation of its rollback of oil and gas methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions limits.
On August 18, 2021, the EPA announced it issued a final rule to stop the use of chlorpyrifos pesticide on all food crops in response to an order from the 9th Circuit. The final rule revokes “all ‘tolerances’ for chlorpyrifos, which establish an amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food. In addition, the […]
On July 21, the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced the release of a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the BJS, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) titled “Indicators of Workplace Violence, 2019” (NCJ 250748; NIOSH 2022-124). According to the report, workplace homicides peaked […]
The next industrial stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) is due in 2020. Even if the current EPA officials manage to put in place its deregulation agenda, this 2020 permit is subject to a settlement that could significantly increase the industrial stormwater permitting reach and associated costs. Here’s what’s going on and what you can do.
Every workplace should have a contingency plan for medical emergencies. Even workplaces with just a handful of employees could be susceptible to emergencies, and having a plan for what to do when those emergencies happen can help people stay calm and sometimes save lives. When developing a necessary and effective contingency plan for medical emergencies, […]