The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting the public to comment on the agency’s draft strategy to protect and restore our nation’s lakes, streams and coastal waters, says an EPA press release. The strategy, “Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA’s Strategy for Achieving Clean Water,” is designed to chart EPA’s path in furthering EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s key priority of protecting America’s waters.
OSHA has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma alleging that Shawnee, Okla.-based Modern Oil Co. Inc., doing business as Kwick Stop Convenience Stores, illegally terminated an employee because of complaints about workplace safety issues.
OSHA has cited the U.S. Postal Service with three alleged willful and six alleged serious violations at its Dayton, Ohio, processing center. The Postal Service faces a total of $225,000 in fines for electrical and equipment hazards following an OSHA inspection conducted in response to employee complaints.
OSHA has proposed $114,750 in additional fines against Pierce Industries, a Rochester, N.Y., machine shop, chiefly for failing to correct hazards cited during a previous OSHA inspection. The company was fined $30,000 in December 2009 for a variety of hazards, including failing to test its piping system to ensure it was gas-tight under pressure and to adequately train its workers in the safe operation of forklifts.
Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released yesterday show a decline in workplace fatalities in 2009 compared with 2008.
As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released action plans to address the potential health risks of benzidine dyes, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and nonylphenol (NP)/nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), according to an EPA press release. The chemicals are widely used in both consumer and industrial applications, including dyes, flame retardants, and industrial laundry detergents. The plans identify a range of actions the agency is considering under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
OSHA has received numerous complaints from workers taking part in the Gulf Coast oil spill cleanup whose employers are refusing to provide them with a certificate following their completion of training under the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, or HAZWOPER, standard, according to an agency press release. OSHA interprets the standard as prohibiting covered employers from withholding written certificates from workers who have successfully completed such training.
From new medical applications, to the latest gadgets and consumer products, innovative nanotechnology is pushing the boundaries of what was believed possible. But according to a recent press release from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), in order for this technology to develop further, faster and better, a clear understanding and a logical classification of nanomaterials is needed.
NSF International and the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) announced in a recent press release that the organizations are developing a standard for K-12 school equipment and supplies. The standard will be the first comprehensive standard to certify health, safety and environmental aspects of products and equipment used in an educational setting. There are currently no programs that evaluate school equipment and products on a comprehensive basis.