Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a brief order rescheduling the originally planned June 2, 2016, oral arguments in EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) litigation (West Virginia v. EPA) to September 27, 2016. The order also noted that arguments would be heard by the en banc (full) court of […]
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) leaders recently cited lack of support by top management for safety programs as their top concern. But the solution may be, in part, a matter of learning a new language. At a recent meeting of ASSE chapter leaders, those attending were asked to cite the six most pressing issues […]
Workers’ compensation cost a lot, so you want to be sure you’re not wasting money. That means having answers to all the important questions. Today, we feature a brief Q & A on some critical issues. In a BLR webinar entitled “Workers’ Comp 101: What HR Must Know,” attorney Susan Fahley Desmond offered some important […]
OSHA strongly recommends that all businesses have an emergency action plan in place that covers procedures for evacuations and sheltering. You and your employees need to know exactly what to do in any emergency situation, from fires to natural disasters to chemical spills. When developing your emergency action plan, it’s important to determine the following: […]
Should the U.S. Supreme Court decide that challenges against EPA’s Clean Water Rule (CWR or waters of the United States (WOTUS)) be heard in the U.S. District Courts and not the U.S. Appeals Courts, the nationwide stay of the CWR issued by the 6th Circuit will be lifted, and the CWR will take effect.
A refrigerant formulator was recently fined $300,000 by the EPA and the Department of Justice for violations of SNAP regulations. First, let’s look at what the pertinent regulations say, then at what the company allegedly did, and finally what the fix will be. Note: Under SNAP, a “producer” is any person who manufactures, formulates, or […]
You answer your door, and it’s an OSHA inspector. Is it your worst nightmare? Just what, exactly, should you expect? To answer these questions, we visited our sister site, Safety.BLR.com, and found some very helpful tips. An OSHA inspection is essentially a four-stage process that includes: Presentation of OSHA inspector credentials Opening meeting Inspection walkaround […]
EPA’s final revisions to the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions under 40 CFR 68, also known as the Risk Management Program (RMP), were published in last Friday’s Federal Register. The revisions are intended to improve elements of the RMP, enhance emergency preparedness, and ensure that local emergency response officials and the public have the necessary information […]
Henry Brick Co. Inc., a Selma, Alabama, brick manufacturer, faces $124,212 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for exposing employees to respirable crystalline silica, the agency announced February 27. Exposure to crystalline silica can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, and lung cancer. OSHA cited Henry Brick Co. with 11 serious […]
The EPA has issued its first biannual update of its work on a proposal for a final rule that would subject facilities holding hazardous substances to the same requirements applying to facilities holding threshold amounts of oil. The update indicates that the proposal is still in its early stages, and therefore, any views on what […]