EHS on Tap

Environmental managers are always thinking about how their companies or facilities are complying with federal, state, and local regulations. Many use environmental audits as tools to help assess compliance liabilities and provide a basis for minimizing those liabilities by bringing to light areas of noncompliance. This leads to implementation of corrective measures before federal or state inspecto...

“Safety culture” is top priority for every safety manager these days, but how to shape a culture is a continual challenge. Most of the time, the focus is on the attitudes of managers and supervisors that work directly with workers and improving employee engagement, but a successful safety culture also requires the most senior leaders of an organization to provide effective safety leadership. But w...

All employers required to keep injury and illness records are impacted by the improved tracking of the workplace injuries and illnesses rule, and more than 460,000 employers will need to electronically submit records for public scrutiny under OSHA’s recent rulemaking. Many believe the antiretaliation provision of the rule will be eliminated as soon as OSHA leadership moves in. But what about the e...

The new administration has been with us for a few weeks now, and we have seen a lot of activity involving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With President Trump’s new Executive Order directing federal agencies to repeal two regulations for every new one issued, his promise to roll back most of EPA’s regulations, and many in Congress calling for the agency to be eliminated entirely, things...

OSHA announced its silica final rule last spring and it immediately received criticism from industry groups. These groups call the standard unobtainable and very costly--and they claim that the rule isn’t really necessary to improve worker safety. The rule has spawned lawsuits and speculation that a Republican-controlled Congress could take action to overturn it. Adele Abrams, a preeminent occupat...

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we speak with Seth Brown about the costs associated with stormwater regulations as well as the key roles of businesses, municipalities, and communities in managing effective stormwater programs.

Emily Remmel speaks with attorney Adele Abrams on OSHA's recent rulemaking for walking working surfaces that goes into effect January 17, 2017.

On this episode of EHS on Tap, Emily Remmel talks to Scott Dunsmore of Lion Technologies about EPA’s recent rulemaking finalizing regulations on hazardous waste generators.

On this episode, we speak with Alden Davis about the situational awareness of animals in their natural environments as compared to humans in the everyday work environment.

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we speak with State Senator Rob Hogg from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to discuss the upcoming presidential election and the likely significant impacts on the environment regardless of whether Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton wins or Republican nominee, Donald Trump wins.

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we speak with attorney Adele Abrams regarding the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s recent rulemaking on reporting injuries in the workplace and how work-related injuries can trigger drug testing and employer retaliation. Note: This podcast was recorded before OSHA sent the notification that the effective date of the final rule has been changed to Decem...

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we speak with Joe MacDougald, a Professor in Residence on the faculty of the UConn Law School and the Executive Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Law about the D.C. Circuit Court’s en banc review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s most ambitious regulatory initiative and a centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s climate change policy—the Cle...

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we are speaking with the Senior Vice President of Ergodyne’s Operations and Product Management, Greg Schrab. We address the design evolution of personal protective equipment, or PPE, and how these interestingly sleek designs are attracting millennials and changing attitudes in the direction of safety and protection in the workplace.

Subsurface areas such as basements are hidden harbors for silent and toxic intrusion of vapors that can lead to detrimental health effects. The Environmental Protection Agency has always had an interest in vapor intrusion, but now, rousing recent interest the agency has made a stark move. It has proposed to add vapor intrusion as a qualifier for priority sites under Superfund or the Comprehensive...

On this episode of EHS on Tap, Navigating the Proposed Pharmaceutical Rule, we plunge into EPA’s proposed Pharmaceutical Rule and what this rule will mean for the overall health of our freshwater resources as well as the consequences to health care facilities. Tune in as we speak with attorney and environmental law expert, Summer Nastich with Nastich Law in Berkeley, California about the soon to b...

For the first time in 25 years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is increasing its penalty amounts. Employers could face civil penalties 78 percent greater than before. In an effort to boost compliance and deter safety violations, employers must demonstrate their commitment to safety… or pay the price.

Workers are injured everyday while on the job. These injuries can often result in missed work days, poor worker attitudes, and high turnover rates, even enforcement actions from OSHA. The good news is that the world of safety in the work place is changing. Safety is no longer something your employer tells you to do but is becoming a phenomenon where safety is weaved into the everyday behavior and...

On this Episode of EHS on Tap, we parse through the significant and recent legislative reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, better known as TSCA, and what Congress's action will mean for the future of chemical regulation.

On this episode of EHS on Tap, we discuss the constantly changing work environment for construction workers and the human response to site progress. We talk to construction and compliance experts, Debbie Petrelle and Ana Ellington about this workplace phenomenon and the importance for construction workers and managers to practice good housekeeping on a daily basis.

On this episode, What Hawkes Means for Wetland Determinations, we speak with attorney and water expert, Stan Millan about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes and what the ruling means for the future of wetland permitting.

On this episode, Wading Through the WOTUS Waters, we talk with attorney and water expert, Stan Millan with the law firm Jones Walker in New Orleans about this ongoing regulatory and legal dispute and the significant implications over the five-word phrase, “waters of the United States.”