Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Professional safety groups pointed to pandemic disruptions including fewer hours worked and working from home, as contributing factors in the decline in fatal workplace injuries in 2020 reported last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS announced a 10.7% decrease in fatal injuries with the release of its 2020 Census of Fatal […]
At this writing, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is close to issuing a final rule amending the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Yesterday we recapped some of the changes the EPA has proposed to update this standard, which is meant to protect farm workers and their families from exposure to pesticides. Today we will review […]
Wildfire smoke exposure and heat-related illnesses like heat stroke are recognized occupational health hazards. Are you doing all you can to protect your employees from these summertime risks? While there are no federal standards for heat illness prevention or wildfire smoke exposure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a rulemaking to establish a […]
Over the last decade, modern technology has taken the contractor management world by storm. It has changed the way hiring organizations and contractors approach safety and has contributed to increased productivity on all fronts. The last few years especially have presented unprecedented challenges to businesses that brought on questions about increased safety measures, better resource […]
In 2017, industrial activity accounted for 22% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, third behind transportation (29%) and electricity (28%). When adding indirect emissions from the off-site generation of electricity needed to power industrial facilities, the share increases to 29.7%.
In July 2022, the EPA finalized amendments to its requirements for Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) to better protect the health of workers. One of the uses of SNURs is to require notice to the EPA before chemical substances and mixtures are used in new ways that might create health concerns. These amendments strengthen requirements […]
The National Safety Council (NSC) recently announced a new collaboration between its MSD Solutions Lab and Safetytech Accelerator, a technology accelerator focused on safety and risk in industrial sectors, to design, build, and run an innovation lab to help facilitate the development of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention technology. Last fall, the NSC and Safetytech Accelerator […]
Back pain is among mankind’s earliest and most enduring afflictions. In fact, cave drawings have depicted early sufferers. Today, back pain has become a major workplace issue. The American Physical Therapy Association reports that back pain is the most common cause of loss of activity among adults under 45 and that more than 80 percent […]
It’s June and for much of the United States that means prime lawn mowing season. What that means for you as a safety trainer is that your employees may be exercising muscles they haven’t used all winter and face other health hazards as they take care of home maintenance duties. Sore muscles and other health […]
The EPA is proposing to take a new approach to how it evaluates the impact pesticides have on endangered species. According to the Agency, its draft Revised Method for National Level Endangered Species Risk Assessment Process for Biological Evaluations of Pesticides is intended to correct overly conservative pilot biological evaluations (BEs) the EPA previously conducted […]