When US EPA introduced the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the hazardous waste management standards included reduced requirements for some large-volume wastes. After studying the hazards of wastes in oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) operations, as directed by the US Congress, EPA determined regulation of these wastes under RCRA was not warranted. Therefore, many oil and gas E&P wastes are excluded from the RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste management standards...
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In this week's EPA Enforcement Roundup, a wood treatment facility and a city power and water authority will pay for hazardous waste and Clean Water Act violations, respectively. In addition, EPA will collect a civil penalty from a city-owned incinerator in New Hampshire...
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In a recently wrapped-up court case, Texas vs. EPA, a Texas District Court judge decided last week to halt implementation of the new Clean Water Act requirements in three states: Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
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The medical evaluation is a key component of OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard at 29 CFR 1910.134. This week, we guide safety managers through the steps of a typical medical evaluation, which must take place even before the employee is fit-tested on the equipment.
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Ford Motor Company has announced a recall for about two million F-150 pick-up trucks because of reports of smoking seatbelt pretensioners.
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The RCRA hazardous waste management program provides a “cradle-to-grave” management system that applies to all hazardous waste generators. But when the government creates rules broad enough to apply to everyone, those rules don’t necessarily work well in every real-world situation...
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In the real world, a shipping department can’t stop and wait for a new employee to finish in-depth training. Clients are waiting for deliveries and product must move out the door at an increasingly rapid pace. In addition to their responsibilities for hazardous materials safety, hazmat shippers deal with the same pressures that impact logistics professionals of all stripes—pressure to be more efficient...
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From time to time, shippers, carriers, and inspectors disagree about what is or is not a violation of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). With thousands of detailed requirements to follow, it’s no wonder that interpretations of these rules can sometimes vary from state to state, county to county, or even from inspector to inspector.
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In some ways, it was the most significant new regulation for hazardous waste in the 21st century. In other ways, all it did was rearrange old stuff into a more convenient, intuitive order. Here we break down one of most subtle, yet impactful, changes for hazardous waste generators in US EPA’s Generator Improvements Rule.
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In today’s EPA Enforcement Roundup—EPA and DOJ reach an $11 million CERCLA agreement, and a vegetable oil and biodiesel plant faces a half-a-million dollar fine for Clean Water Act SPCC violations. In addition, the owners of a rail car cleaning company have been indicted for their actions surrounding a 2015 explosion that killed 2 workers.
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