Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On November 7, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reminded employers to protect workers from wildfire smoke produced by the Mountain Fire, which is impacting air quality in areas around Ventura County. The agency referred employers to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) for the latest information on […]
On September 13, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a draft hazard review for wildfire smoke (89 Fed. Reg. 74960). Comments on the draft hazard review are due November 12. According to NIOSH, wildfire smoke has become an increasingly widespread and potentially serious threat to public health in recent years. Natural […]
How is the air quality inside your offices or other facilities? Have you spoken recently with your building or facilities manager about your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems? Proper ventilation and air filtration can lower indoor concentrations of both infectious disease particles and particulate matter from wildfires, protecting your employees, customers, and visitors. […]
Thanks to those persistent forest fires in Canada, we’ve been hearing a lot about smoke lately. Last Wednesday, New York City was engulfed in smoke that had traveled from the north, giving it a spooky orange glow and leading authorities to warn residents about going outside. And OSHA urged employers to protect outdoor workers from […]
More than 130 air monitoring projects in 37 states will receive $53.4 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Of the funding, $20 million is provided by the ARP, with the rest coming from the IRA. The additional funding from the IRA allowed the EPA to deploy, […]
Having failed to reach the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone by July 20, 2021, the EPA announced a final proposed action to downgrade the following five regions from “Serious” nonattainment status to “Severe”: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Ft. Collins-Loveland, CO Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX Morongo Band of Mission Indians, CA New York-N. New […]
According to a proposed consent decree filed by the EPA in the Federal Register, the Agency plans to finalize tougher ozone pollution standards for several large metropolitan areas by September 15, 2022. These areas include Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas; New York-North New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut; and Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Ft. Collins-Loveland, Colorado. On […]
A nongovernmental task force recently recommended that building owners begin taking four steps to address SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in schools and workplaces: verifying building systems are performing as designed, increasing outdoor air ventilation, upgrading air filtration, and deploying portable air cleaners where needed. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission’s Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and […]
In response to lawsuits brought by states and environmental groups, on October 29, 2021, the EPA filed a motion in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit indicating it “will be reconsidering the 2020 Ozone NAAQS Decision, with the intention of completing the reconsideration by the end of 2023.” Under the Trump […]
The EPA issued an enforcement alert about Clean Air Act (CAA) emissions violations at scrap metal recycling facilities in late July 2021. Emissions from these facilities are contributing to violations of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. “Over 250 metal recycling facilities are currently operating with a shredder in the United States,” […]