Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
November 25, this year. Retailers have it marked on their calendars and look forward with excitement and dread. Black Friday can often mean big profits for stores, but it can also mean extra danger for their employees and customers because of the rush to get that “special” toy or other item. In addition, the Occupational […]
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on October 6 announced it will “restore three core procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations to provide communities and decision makers with more complete information about proposed projects, their environmental and public health impacts, and their alternatives.” What is NEPA? NEPA was signed […]
How many times has your company asked a contractor to work on energized equipment? How many times has an electrician chosen to not turn a circuit off because it was an inconvenience? Have you ever worked with a contractor who has an attitude of, “Yes we can work it hot since our competition won’t do […]
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the EPA is required to conduct biological evaluations (BEs) of pesticides to determine their effects on endangered and threatened species (listed species) and their critical habitats. The Agency has now issued a nonregulatory method for conducting BEs.
Did you know that workers who are obese are more likely to suffer strains and sprains? So, you may invest a great deal in your ergonomic program, but unless your workforce maintains healthy weight levels, you could still see injuries.
According to the EPA, while information on sources and causes of releases show that releases from tanks are less common than they once were, releases from piping and spills and overfills associated with deliveries have emerged as more common problems. The Agency attributes the lack of proper operation and maintenance of UST systems as a […]
They say hindsight is 20/20, and while past safety performance is not always predictive of future safety outcomes, it’s possible to look back at organizational operations and systems in order to keep a proactive eye on future safety performances. To that end, there are a number of self-assessment lenses, or operating philosophies, that EHS professionals […]
Michigan has joined a growing list of states that have lost patience with the EPA’s progress on setting a limit on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The EPA’s lack of action, says Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has compelled her to begin the process of completing a state maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS […]
On September 13, 2022, a group of environmental and community advocacy organizations petitioned the EPA to close “loopholes” in the regulations implementing the Clean Air Act (CAA) that “allow facilities like oil refineries, chemical plants, and incinerators to disregard emission standards, stop reporting their pollution, and avoid fines or other consequences for excess pollution they […]
In September 2016, three patients at the University of Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, developed secondary infections after undergoing treatment. Their infections were ultimately identified as Legionella pneumonia—a bacterial infection that is usually caused by airborne exposure to Legionella pneumophila. As the hospital began investigating the outbreak, more cases appeared. Something in the hospital […]