Universal Waste Requirements

2022-07-31T19:18:35-04:00August 9th, 2022|Categories: Environmental, EPA, Waste|Tags: , , , , |

Hazardous waste management is a topic that encompasses a wide variety of wastes and procedures that helps to keep the harmful effects of waste on human health and the environment to a minimum. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the universal waste regulations streamline the hazardous waste management standards for certain [...]

DOJ Ramping Up Environmental Compliance Enforcement

2022-03-12T17:23:43-05:00March 22nd, 2022|Categories: EHS Management, inspection & enforcement|Tags: , , , , |

Risk managers take note: Environmental enforcement, particularly criminal enforcement, is expected to rise in the coming months.  In their remarks at the American Bar Association’s annual National Environmental Enforcement Conference, Chief of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Environmental Crimes Section Deborah Harris and Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, head of [...]

EPA Releases Preliminary 2020 Toxics Release Inventory Data

2021-09-05T13:49:55-04:00September 21st, 2021|Categories: EPA, pfas|Tags: , , , , , |

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published preliminary 2020 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data about chemical releases, chemical waste management, and pollution prevention activities. The data covers activities that occurred at nearly 21,000 federal and industrial facilities across the U.S. and includes the first-ever reporting on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [...]

Final Rules from EPA Address Five PBT Chemicals

2021-02-09T14:37:41-05:00February 16th, 2021|Categories: Environmental, EPA, PBT, Safety, TSCA|Tags: , , , , , |

The EPA issued final rules to reduce exposure to five persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on December 22, 2020. “PBT chemicals are of particular concern not only because they are toxic but also because they remain in the environment for long periods [...]

Consumer Product Safety Commission Weighs In on COVID PPE

2021-01-04T13:47:50-05:00January 19th, 2021|Categories: COVID-19, CPSC, EPA, General Information, OSHA, PPE|Tags: , , , , , , |

Guidance on COVID-19-related consumer products stirs up procedural controversy. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has posted a guidance concerning COVID-19-related consumer products on its website that drew fire from one commissioner because it was developed and put up on the Internet absent formal approval by the full commission. Commissioner Dana Baiocco, [...]

How Automated Wastewater Treatment Can Meet Environmental Compliance

2020-11-17T10:19:58-05:00November 24th, 2020|Categories: Environmental, EPA|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Metal fabrication creates byproducts that take a considerable amount of time to remove and require a complex process. The machining, metal fabrication, and finishing industry must meet EPA and local wastewater requirements for effluent, including those under the Clean Water Act. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA has identified [...]

COVID-19 Enforcement: A Guide for EHS Professionals

2020-11-03T11:53:20-05:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: COVID-19, EHS Management, General Information, Safety|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

COVID-19 Enforcement: A Guide for EHS Professionals Will workplace safety and health inspectors show up at your facility if workers contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and one of them files a complaint? Yes, in fact, it’s already happened. Although there are no federal standards for coronavirus exposure or airborne infectious [...]

Avoid Common (and Costly) Hazardous Waste Violations

2020-10-18T13:44:08-04:00October 13th, 2020|Categories: Environmental, EPA|Tags: , , , , , , , |

The EPA has assessed approximately $84 million in hazardous waste material violations in the last 5 years, according to the Agency’s ECHO database. Risk managers are tasked with understanding and ensuring compliance with numerous EPA regulations. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in expensive penalties and, in some cases, prison [...]

EPA Fines Fertilizer Plants, Highlighting the Failure of Many Facilities to Monitor Risks

2020-06-16T09:56:50-04:00July 7th, 2020|Categories: Environmental, EPA|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Two recent Clean Air Act (CAA) settlements—one in Iowa and the other in Kansas—serve as a reminder for companies to review their risk management plans (RMPs) to ensure compliance with the EPA’s Chemical Accident Prevention requirements.  An agricultural co-op, which owns a facility in Kansas, paid civil penalties totaling $19,999 [...]

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