Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

On July 1, the US federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published proposals to revise or repeal more than two dozen of its occupational safety and health standards. OSHA justifies many of these changes as ways to reduce duplicative requirements or increase employers’ flexibility. The remainder of this note identifies these proposals, identifying code sections within OSHA’s General Industry standards (most in 29 CFR 1910 (most proposals also apply to analogous Construction and Maritime standards). 

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Tags: Health & Safety, OSHA, Compliance Safety, RegulatoryUpdates, Workplace Safety Guidelines, Risk Management, Safety Standards, EHS Compliance

Many of the Trump administration’s recent budget requests have proposed reduction in funding for environmental, health and safety (EH&S) agencies (For example I wrote about the environmental Protection Agency (HERE and Occupational Safety and Health Administration HERE ). Most drastically, the administration has proposed ZERO funding for the federal Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board – which usually refers to itself as the Chemical Safety Board or CSB. CSB conducts independent investigations of major chemical accidents, issues accident-specific findings, offers specific or general recommendations for improved chemical handling and regulation, and has enacted a “Chemical Incident Reporting Rule.” (I wrote about the Rule HERE, and compliance guidance HERE). The remainder of this note summarizes CSB’s latest guidance. 

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Tags: OSHA, Environmental, EHS, EPA, CSB, Chemical Safety Board, Trump Administration, EHS Compliance, Incident Reporting, Accidental Release Prevention, Process Safety Management, chemical incident investigations

When managing contractor safety, many hiring clients focus heavily on pre-qualification — confirming that a contractor has the right certifications, training, insurance, and safety programs in place. But pre-qualification is only the starting point. Once you’ve selected a contractor, the real work begins: onboarding, oversight and, in many cases, auditing.

 

Auditing your contractors can be one of the most effective ways to protect your people, manage liability, and ensure that safety commitments on paper are translating into real action on-site.

Here’s how to think about contractor selection, onboarding, and safety audits in a way that supports your organization without overstepping boundaries.

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