Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released its 2020-2029 strategic plan for its Center for Motor Vehicle Safety (CMVS). The plan implements priorities from the institute-wide strategic plan for fiscal years 2019-2023 with input from other sources.
There is no federal emergency temporary standard for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposures, and guidance from federal and state officials seems to change daily. There are a lot of decisions to make and a lot of boxes to check, with incomplete information.
When it comes to communicating your safety goals to an entire organization, do you know how to “tip your message”? This idea of the tipping point, defined by author Malcolm Gladwell as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point,” can be hugely beneficial when initiating safety culture within your organization. This idea […]
Affirmative defense provisions within state implementation plans (SIPs) have long been a controversial topic and the subject of litigation against the EPA.
On July 14, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule amending the general industry standard for beryllium (85 FR 42582). The final rule revises an “eleventh-hour” Obama administration rulemaking issued on January 9, 2017.
The EPA has released its Spring 2020 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. Known as the Spring Agenda, this report provides public updates about planned regulatory activity for the federal government for the next 12 months.
Employers now must address a host of summer workplace hazards while continuing to protect workers in an ongoing pandemic. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is widespread in most U.S. communities and considered a workplace hazard.
In the second quarter (Q2), the EPA finalized 165 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a decrease in enforcement actions—down from 188 penalties issued in Q1 for 2020. The actions taken resulted in $3,482,842 in fines. Here are some of the highlights.
Motor carriers still must conduct random drug testing of 50% of their drivers. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it may exercise discretion in the enforcement of drug and alcohol testing requirements because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause disruptions within the industry.
The EPA issued a final rule in its Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan on June 22, 2020. This means that certain products that could contain harmful PFAS cannot be imported, produced, sold, or manufactured in the United States without EPA approval or the Agency imposing certain restrictions that would address unacceptable risks. Examples […]