Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
January 17 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which makes it a great time to celebrate diversity in your workplace. For safety’s sake, you need your employees to learn to respect each other’s differences so they can understand each other, communicate effectively, and work together safely. Discuss all the ways employees can be diverse. For […]
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) finally makes its debut. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of time yet to comply. OSHA has announced that the final rule for GHS, or Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, will become law effective May 25, 2012. The effective date of the final rule is 60 days […]
There’s no OSHA standard for it. And for the most part, you can’t see it or touch it. But the potential risks are significant. We’re talking about indoor air quality (IAQ). IAQ refers to the quality of the air inside buildings as represented by concentrations of pollutants and thermal conditions like temperature and humidity. These […]
Many times a supervisor faces serious obstacles (real or imagined) to attaining a good safety record for his or her department. Here are some of the excuses supervisors commonly given along with some solutions: Employees are people with certain specific functions to perform, but they are not machines—they’re people with feelings and emotions. People like […]
Basic foot protection is a sturdy shoe or boot made of leather, rubber, or a synthetic. It has an impact-resistant toe—usually steel—and nonskid soles with rubber or synthetic treads to prevent slips and falls. Other possible protections workers may need in shoes or boots are: Metal insoles or reinforced soles to protect against puncture Nonconducting […]
In a final rule, the EPA has added a subsurface intrusion component to the hazard ranking system (HRS) the Agency uses when considering whether to add sites to the Superfund’s National Priorities List (NPL). Until this action, the HRS, which was promulgated in 1990, did not consider the threat posed by subsurface intrusion when evaluating […]
Most contractors are familiar with pulling construction stormwater general permits (CGP) when a project will disturb more than 1 acre of land. However, it’s also important to note there are some instances when a permit is still required on projects that “disturb” less than an acre of land. Additionally, some projects also require federal and […]
Yesterday, we described OSHA’s new enhanced enforcement initiatives. Today, we provide you with an essential safety and health resource that can help you respond to enforcement changes as well as additional compliance requirements that are likely as the new OSHA administration gains momentum. With the prospect of significant enhancement of OSHA’s enforcement practices and new […]
Note to Readers: This newsletter appears daily, but we know some don’t always have the time to read it everyday. For your convenience, here’s a re-publication of what we covered this past week. Daily, weekly, or anything in between, we’re pleased to keep you informed with the latest tips, news and advice on the profession. […]
With EHS Technology Week winding down, it makes perfect sense to go with a tech-oriented Song of the Week. This time around, we’re heading up north and backwards in time to 1981 for “Vital Signs” by Canadian power trio Rush. The Toronto-based band came up playing Led Zeppelin-inspired riff rock and eventually moved into progressive […]