Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

India’s Labour Reforms - New Streamlined OSH Code and Beyond

Posted by Jen Chiapella on Wed, Apr 08, 2026

On November 21, 2025, India’s long-awaited Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020 came into force. It replaces 13 National Labour laws with a single consolidated Code intended to improve transparency, enhance worker welfare, and promote ease of doing business in India. Significant labour reforms were also brought into force on this date in three additional Codes: the Code on Wages 2019, the Industrial Relations Code 2020, and the Code on Social Security, thereby replacing 29 laws with these four Codes and establishing a framework to enable robust improvements in OHS for workers and employers. It is important to note that many of the detailed provisions will be fully enacted upon the issuance of state rules.

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Tags: EHS Compliance, India Labour Reforms, Occupational Health and Safety India, OSH Code 2020, Workplace Safety Regulations, Social Security Code India, EHS Software, Code on Wages 2019, Industrial Relations Code 2020, Regulatory Updates India, Global EHS Regulations, ESG Compliance, Labour Law Compliance, Worker Welfare, Compliance Management

What the Latest EPA Monitoring Data Reveal About America’s Drinking Water

Posted by Frank Skiba on Wed, Mar 11, 2026

On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a major update to its national drinking water monitoring data under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5). This dataset, representing nearly 95% of the monitoring results collected through 2025, gives the most comprehensive snapshot yet of the prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in America’s public water systems.

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Tags: EHS, EPA, Environmental Policy, PFAS, OHS, Environmental Compliance, EHSCompliance, Forever Chemicals, EHS Compliance, PFAS regulations, Public Water Systems, UCMR 5, Drinking Water, Safe Drinking Water Act

The Hidden Cost of Cutting EHS Compliance Content

Posted by Shannon Major on Thu, Feb 26, 2026

Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) functions are too often viewed as cost centers, and, as a result, are among the first areas scrutinized when organizations seek to reduce expenses. In today’s climate of economic uncertainty, many EHS leaders are being asked to re-examine already lean budgets and identify potential cuts. It is a difficult mandate.

Increasingly, EHS regulatory compliance content is among the first items considered for reduction. Before making that decision, however, it is critical to examine the forces driving this impulse and the broader implications for the organization. What appears to be a short-term saving can ultimately generate far greater costs in reputation, risk exposure, and financial performance.

 

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Tags: EHS, workplace safety, OHS, EHSCompliance, Risk Management, Safety Audits, Contractor Safety, EHS Compliance, Prequalification

New York court orders state to issue overdue greenhouse gas regulations

Posted by Jon Elliott on Fri, Nov 14, 2025

New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (CLCPA) sets out ambitious goals for the state to measure and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has not met all the act’s deadlines to issue implementing regulations. Most recently, on October 24, 2025 a state trial court (the Supreme Court of Albany County) ordered DEC to issue overdue regulations directing emission sources to reduce GHG emissions. The remainder of this note discusses CLCPA and its status. 

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Tags: GHG Reduction, CLCPA, New York Climate Law, DEC, Greenhouse Gas Regulations, Environmental Litigation, Climate Action Council, Environmental Advocacy, Climate Policy

Quebec extends occupational health and safety program requirements

Posted by Jon Elliott on Thu, Nov 06, 2025

Effective October 1, 2025, Quebec has extended the reach of occupational health and safety (OH&S) “prevention plan” requirements to additional employers, by granting assent (effectiveness) to the last provisions of 2021’s “Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime (Bill 59)” by amending the “Act respecting occupational health and safety” (OHS Act) and a related Occupational Health and Safety Commission (CNNEST) regulation (Regulation respecting prevention and participation mechanisms in an establishment). 

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Tags: EHS, workplace safety, EHSCompliance, Occupational Health, Risk Management, EHS Compliance, Quebec Regulations, Occupational Health and Safety, Prevention Programs

Value of using a trusted EHS monitoring notification feed

Posted by Daniel Friedman on Tue, Nov 04, 2025

In an era of rapid regulatory change, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) professionals face mounting pressure to ensure their audit checklists and compliance tasks are maintained for facilities located across the globe. While generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be used for EHS research, they lack the precision, reliability, and specialization in EHS required for managing compliance risk. STP ComplianceEHS, as a dedicated EHS content provider, provides a targeted platform through the RegHub product for monitoring regulatory change, including expert editorial oversight, global coverage, and purpose-built compliance tools. 

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Tags: EHS, Risk Management, AI, Artifical Intelligence, AI in Risk, EHS Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, EHS Compliance

Future-Proofing Compliance: Building Agile EHS Audit Programs for a Changing Regulatory Landscape

Posted by Shannon Major on Fri, Oct 24, 2025

In today's rapidly evolving regulatory environment, meeting compliance obligations is more than a legal requirement—it's a business imperative. For organizations committed to excellence in Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) management, a well-designed and agile EHS audit program is a vital tool. Beyond simply checking boxes, it helps identify risks, protect workers, ensure environmental stewardship, and drive continuous improvement. 

This blog explores the key elements of a successful EHS audit program, the critical role of the Audit Program Manager, and how to effectively integrate emerging regulatory requirements to stay ahead of change. 

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Tags: Environment, Environmental Health and Safety, EHS Technology, AI, Artifical Intelligence, EHS Innovation, EHS Compliance, PFAS regulations, EHS audit program

California Extends and Amends its Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Program

Posted by Jon Elliott on Fri, Oct 17, 2025

In September 2025, California extended and amended authority for its statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) “cap and trade” program through 2045 – and rebranded it as “cap and invest.” The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has administered this program since 2012, as part of broader GHG reduction provisions created by 2006’s Assembly Bill (AB) 32. AB 32 initially committed the state to reduce total GHG emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020 (achieved in 2018); ARB’s latest GHG reduction scoping plan (issued in 2022), seeks to reduce statewide emissions to 85% below 1990 levels by 2045, achieving carbon neutrality. Subsequent legislation extended implementing authority for cap-and-trade and other related programs available to the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and other agencies through 2030. (I wrote about that extension (AB 398) HERE ).  The newest legislation (AB 2017 and Senate Bill (SB) 840) continues the state’s GHG reduction efforts by making further changes to ARB’s cap and trade authority. The rest of this note summarizes these changes.

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Tags: climate change, sustainability, cap-and-trade, California, Climate, Carbon markets, Environmental Compliance, Climate Risk, California Regulations, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, GHG Reduction, cap-and-invest, California Air Resources Board

California provides checklist for required climate-related reporting

Posted by Jon Elliott on Thu, Oct 09, 2025

On September 2, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) posted a draft checklist with information to help targeted “covered entities” comply with requirements to provide “Climate Related Financial Risk Disclosure.” These Disclosures are required beginning January 1, 2026, in compliance with state legislation (SB 261 (Stern)) enacted in 2023 (which I wrote about HERE), and amended in 2024 (SB 219 (Wiener); I wrote about it HERE). The remainder of this note summarizes SB 261 and ARB’s draft checklist. 

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Tags: sustainability, ARB, compliance, Environmental Regulations, Corporate Sustainability, Climate Disclosure, ESG Reporting, SB261, CARB, Corporate Risk

EPA proposes to eliminate most mandatory greenhouse gas emission reporting requirements

Posted by Jon Elliott on Fri, Oct 03, 2025

On September 16, 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposal to eliminate the vast majority of its longstanding Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which requires thousands of facilities and organizations to report annual emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (40 CFR part 98). (I’ve written about this program over the years, most recently when EPA issued massive revisions in April 2024 (see HERE). The remainder of this note briefly summarizes EPA’s latest interpretation and identifies the small portion EPA proposes to retain, and the existing GHGRP.  

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Tags: EPA, Greenhouse Gas, Clean Air Act, Climate, Environmental Compliance, EPA Regulations, EPA Standards, GHG Reporting, EPA enforcement, Climate Disclosure, Climate Risk, Air Quality