MSDSonline Environmental, Health & Safety Blog

The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently revised the personal protective equipment (PPE) standards concerning requirements for eye- and face protective devices, and head and foot protection for general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring and marine terminals. The final rule, which becomes effective Oct. 9, 2009, “Is another step in OSHA’s efforts to update or remove references to outdated national consensus and industry standards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab.

According to the Federal Register notice, one of the changes includes “deleting editions of the national consensus standards that PPE must meet if purchased before a specified date.” The revisions to the standard require employers to follow guidelines from the most recent editions of applicable national consensus standards, standards set by groups like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The changes give the regulation sustainability, keeping it current as consensus standards evolve through time, and they also simplify compliance and enforcement.

“Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials,” said Barab.

So, what does this mean for you if you’re the employer? Well, in an interview with EHS Today, from the article titled “OSHA Updates PPE Standards to Reference Consensus Standards,” the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) President Daniel K. Shipp summed it up nicely, he said, “It’s no great change. Companies will continue to use the same eye and face protection and head protection equipment they had been using that meets the current standard.” Shipp also concurred that the proposed changes will help to keep the regulation relevant in the future. He said, “We think the way that OSHA is proposing to update the standard will make it easier for the standard to stay up to date now with the state-of-the-art [advances] as new consensus standards are published.”

Visit OSHA’s Web site to read the complete new release or click here to read the final rule in the Federal Register.

If you’re considering purchasing new PPE, you can find a variety of products from trusted suppliers at MSDSonline’s Safety Mall.

– The MSDSonline Compliance Team

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released a safety video titled “Combustible Dust: An Insidious Hazard,” which demonstrates the dangers of accumulating combustible dust particles and how they lead to catastrophic explosions that kill and maim workers and damage surrounding communities. 

The video illustrates how combustible dust buildup lead to three major accidents that the CSB has investigated and it includes actual news footage and photographs from the events.

Combustible dusts are solids that have been ground down into small bits, fibers, particles or flakes that have the ability to ignite into flames when suspended in air under certain conditions. They exist in a variety of industries from sugar manufacturing to metal processing to recycling operations. Many times companies don’t realize the dangers that these particles present until it’s too late.  According to OSHA, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions since 1980.

OSHA has recognized the dangers of these explosive particles for some time and earlier this year announced its plan to initiate a comprehensive rulemaking on combustible dust.  In a statement made on April 29, 2009, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said, “Over the years, combustible dust explosions have caused many deaths and devastating injuries that could have been prevented. OSHA is reinvigorating the regulatory process to ensure workers receive the protection they need while also ensuring that employers have the tools needed to make their workplaces safer.” 

For details about current OSHA standards related to combustible dust as well as fact sheets, explanations and guidelines for preventing explosions, visit the OSHA Web site.

To access the new CSB combustible dust video you can visit the CSB Web site or you can view it on You Tube here.  We think it does a great job of detailing the effects of this preventable workplace hazard and it does it in a captivating way.

– The MSDSonline Compliance Team

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

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’

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the REACH regulation .  In my opinion it is perhaps the most significant piece of legislation regulating chemical substances to come down the pike, and its impact will be felt by many industries around the globe.

What is REACH?
REACH is a European Union (EU) regulation governing the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization (and restriction) of Chemicals.  It addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment .

Continue reading ‘REACH Will Reach Well Beyond the EU’