MSDSonline Environmental, Health & Safety Blog

By July 1, some companies that produce, manufacture, process or use certain chemicals must submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports to the EPA and the states where they operate as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (ECPRA) of 1986.

The quantities and types of chemicals in your inventory determine which form, Form A or Form R, you use to submit your reports.  Each year, the EPA collects and consolidates these reports into a publicly accessible TRI database.

The TRI reports that are due on July 1, 2009, should include hazardous chemical inventory information from 2008, and must comply with the new guidelines that became effective on March 11 when President Barack Obama signed the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. 

The new guidelines essentially call for more detailed reporting and revert back to requirements that were in place prior to December 22, 2006.  According to the EPA, “The change requires that all reports on persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals be submitted on “Form R,” the more detailed form. For all other chemicals the shorter form, “Form A” may be used only if the “annual reporting amount” is 500 pounds or less and that the chemical was manufactured, processed or otherwise used in an amount not exceeding 1 million pounds during the reporting year.”

Should you be reporting?
Hopefully, you already know whether your company must comply with this federal law, but if  not your not sure, the EPA’s First Time Filers resource page is available to help you make the determination.

If you still have questions, we encourage you to contact a representative in the EPA’s TRI  Program Division.

– The MSDSonline Compliance Team

Yes, it’s that time of year, when the sweltering heat of summer begins to set in and brings with it a host of additional safety and health concerns for employers and workers across the country.  Being able to identify and respond to the warning signs of heat stress can truly become a life or death matter.  In fact, more than 1,000 heat-related deaths occur each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Let’s then, review the basics so you can be sure your team remains cool and safe this summer.

Who’s at risk
It might seem obvious that workers who are exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments, such as construction workers, factory workers, firefighters, boiler room workers, cooks, farmers and miners, are at higher risk of succumbing to heat stress.  Even more susceptible, are the subset of workers who are 65 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or are taking certain medications that react poorly to extreme heat .

Continue reading ‘Working in Extreme Temperatures’

The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, also known as HCS, 29 CFR 1910.1200, HazCom, among others, is a regulation that governs the communication of hazards associated with chemicals in the workplace.  For purposes of this post we’ll just go with HCS.

HCS was first adopted in the early 1980s and is a relatively straight forward regulation that in simple terms requires employers to understand the hazards associated with chemicals in their workplace and communicate those hazards to their employees.

During the last ten years HCS has been consistently in the top three most frequently cited OSHA violations, which suggests there is a lot of confusion around this regulation. 

Continue reading ‘Breaking Down the Hazard Communication Standard’

More money is being budgeted for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) with the new administration in place.  Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis took office in February and in early May, through a live online discussion, outlined President Barack Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2010 DOL budget plans. Continue reading ‘OSHA Budget Increases for 2010′