‘The boss as the hazard’, McCarthy’s confirmation hearing, Obama budget and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • Obama’s budget numbers for OSHA and other programs. 
  • The whole notion of your boss as an occupational hazard gains traction with OSHA.
  • Nominee for EPA head faces grilling at confirmation hearing, and a whole lot more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you.

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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Canada-U.S. regulatory alignment progress, OSHA’s app challenge, EPA climate change rules and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • The Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council continues to align regs between the two countries, OIRA head says. 
  • The winners of an OSHA safety.
  • EPA proposed climate change rules, and more.

By the way, you can access the schedule for GHS/HCS we mentioned in the show here.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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Hoover Dam’s safety record, revised MSHA POV rules, hearing loss concerns in sports facilities and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • MSHA’s revised pattern of violation (POV) rules. 
  • Research on excessive noise levels in sports venues.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency rules in favour of E15 ethanol blend, and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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OSHA 2013 priorities, DOL head resigns, strip club death and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • Another senior administration resignation.
  • OSHA’s mandate and priorities for 2013.
  • Site-Specific Targets are announced for OSHA enforcement and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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January is National Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month and the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General are urging all Americans to take action and protect their health by testing their homes, businesses, schools and other buildings for radon. Radon is impossible to detect by humans as you can’t see, smell or taste it but it is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America, claiming the lives of about 20,000 people annually.

Here are four things the EPA recommends you do this month to take precautions against radon:

  • Test Your Home – EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes in the U.S. be tested for radon. Testing is easy and inexpensive. Learn more about testing your home, including how to obtain an easy-to-use test kit here.
  • Attend a National Radon Action Month event in your area – Look for radon events in your community. Contact your state radon program for more information about local radon activities.
  • Spread the word – spend time during National Radon Action Month encouraging others to learn about radon and test their homes.
  • Buy a radon-resistant home – If you are considering buying a new home, look for builders who use radon-resistant new construction. Read more about radon-resistant new construction, “Building Radon Out: A Step-by-Step Guide to Build Radon-Resistant Homes” or contact your state radon program for information about radon testing, mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction in your area.

Learn more about National Radon Action Month from the EPA’s website here.

For those in Canada looking for info on protecting yourself from radon, Health Canada provides plently of resources for you on their website here.

Shocking Centre for Public Integrity report on OSHA fine follow up, and the Chevy Volt is fired up on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • A centre for Public Integrity report revealed OSHA might not necessarily follow up on all fines.
  • The EPA launches an asthma program.
  • Coal use rises while the Chevy Volt finds success, and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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OSHA enforcement vs. incident rates, airline attendant safety, Doha climate talks and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • The correlation between higher OSHA enforcement areas and injury and illness rates.
  • A proposal to increase safety for airline attendants.
  • Doha climate talks and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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EPA enforcement interactive map

This isn’t particularly new news but I thought I’d blog about it because, well, it’s pretty cool! I spent time playing with the EPA’s compliance and enforcement interactive map earlier today and was amazed by how detailed the content is as you navigate through the tool to find the information you need. The tool currenlty reports on concluded cases from fiscal year 2011 and gives a great visual of where enforcement actions and cases take place across the US. It allows you to pick the types of cases you want to show on the map (Federal facility, criminal, cleanup, air, waste, water, chemical…) and your choice adds or eliminates pins that appear on the map.

When you have the pins visible that you are interested in you can click on them and get detailed additional information about the facilities in question who have had some sort of enforcement against them. Then if you go ahead and click into ‘More info’, there is full detail on the facility, their permits, NOVs, enforcement actions and other information.

The tool is intended to keep the community informed of enforcement cases in their area, which it does well; you only need to put in your city and state to get a localized version of the map that is easier to digest. I’m guessing the 2012 data is still coming but no expected date seems to be indicated.

There are different interactive maps for 2009 and 2010 but the 2011 version has added functionality and a noticably more modern look.

If environmental compliance is something that you manage in your company. Be sure to check out our software for environmental management – it might help you stay off this map!

Sandy cleanup, Bangladesh garment factory fire, Institute for Policy Integrity’s harsh words for EPA and more on one-year anniversary edition of EHS This Week

Welcome to the one-year anniversary of EHS This Week! For 52 full weeks we’ve been bringing you essential news on all aspects of workplace health and safety, EHS legislation and regulation, and environmental and climate issues from around the world, not to mention developments in renewable energy. We’ve been blown away by all the feedback we’ve received over the course of the past year and want to thank all our loyal listeners for providing us with tons of questions and feedback.

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • The devastating Bangladesh garment factory fire that killed over 100.
  • The Department of Labour works to improve worker safety awareness and prevent exploitation of immigrant workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
  • The EPA faces the possibility of another lawsuit on emissions controls, and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program!

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The post-election regulation landscape, chaos in Fresno and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • What the U.S. regulatory landscape might look like over the next four years.
  • Progress in reducing incidents in the meat industry.
  • Worker violence in Fresno and more.

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments at paul@ehsthisweek.com. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you. 

Until next week, enjoy the program! Sign up for the I2P2 webinar we mention here.

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