03/29/2016
Changes to the requirements for shipping lithium batteries have come fast and furious in 2016, especially for air shippers. By the end of this week, on April 1, 2016, major changes will take effect for shipping lithium batteries under the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 57th Edition Dangerous Good Regulations (DGR).
03/28/2016
The US Office of Management and Budget has approved a long-awaited OSHA safety regulation to control worker exposure to crystalline silica.
The US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has completed a Final Rule that creates alternative hazmat shipping standards for retail stores that return hazardous materials to a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor.
03/24/2016
In the fall of 2014, OSHA published a Final Rule that significantly changed the workplace injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting regulations (29 CFR 1904). Mandatory as of January 1, 2015, the revised OSHA reporting requirements changed the way employers must report significant workplace injuries and illnesses. Namely, the Final Rule set specific time limits for reporting significant injuries resulting in fatality, hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.
03/23/2016
Under the revised HazCom Standard, also known as HazCom 2012, OSHA requires all workplace containers of hazardous chemicals to be labeled according to new criteria to protect employees. GHS hazard labels must also appear on all shipped containers, making it crucial that distributors understand the requirements and are prepared to comply.
03/22/2016
As is the case with most environmental requirements, the EPA encourages each US state to develop and run its own hazardous waste management program. Each authorized state may create unique hazardous waste regulations that are more stringent than the US EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements, but may not have rules that are less stringent than RCRA’s. For a prime example of how Federal and State hazardous waste rules may differ, we can turn to California and the unique rules for managing universal waste that its Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has created...
03/21/2016
Last week, US EPA announced the appointment of a Board of Experts that will help develop a national electronic tracking system for hazardous waste shipments, known as the electronic Manifest or e-Manifest system.
03/17/2016
According to an EPA press release issued March 14, 2016, one of Oregon’s institutions of higher learning will pay a $275,000 civil penalty for multiple violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Federal hazardous waste regulations.
03/16/2016
In new standards for shipping lithium batteries that took effect on August 7, 2015, US DOT updated the accepted method for expressing the power of a lithium-ion battery. Before August 7, 2015, shippers in the US measured the power of lithium batteries by “equivalent lithium content.” Under the current rules, battery power must be expressed in watt-hours.
03/15/2016
As hazmat professionals, when we think of the phrase “under pressure,” we typically think of cylinders filled with gases like helium, oxygen, or chlorine. But gasses aren’t the only kind of hazardous material shipped under pressure...
When it comes to hazardous waste compliance, many of the most commonly cited management mistakes are easy to identify and correct. By spotting and fixing these everyday errors, you can protect your organization from EPA fines now as high as $75,867 per day, per violation. Download this guide to see 25 of the most-cited errors in RCRA training, recordkeeping, waste ID, container management, universal waste, and more.