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.
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
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
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).
Tags: EHS, workplace safety, EHSCompliance, Occupational Health, Risk Management, EHS Compliance, Quebec Regulations, Occupational Health and Safety, Prevention Programs
Here’s how to think about contractor selection, onboarding, and safety audits in a way that supports your organization without overstepping boundaries.
Tags: EHS, workplace safety, OHS, EHSCompliance, Risk Management, Safety Audits, Contractor Safety, EHS Compliance, Prequalification
The US federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reported a list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites by federal OSHA for all industries, during federal Fiscal Year (FY 2024). The remainder of this note provides OSHA’s list, with links to the standards (i.e., general industry standards) I’ve written about in other notes.
Read MoreTags: OSHA, Safety and Health at Work, EHSCompliance, Safety Regulations, Worker Safety, Regulatory Compliance, Health and Safety, Fall Prevention, Safety Training
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has issued Excess Soil Reuse Guidance, with individual elements and an over-arching framework that jurisdictions can consider (and perhaps adopt, as published or with local variations) when establishing their own excess soil reuse regimes, and for landowners and consultants to consider when designing and implementing construction and remediation projects that generate excess soil. The remainder of this note summarizes this 51 page guidance document.
Read MoreTags: Environmental, EHS, sustainability, EnviromentalCompliance, EHSCompliance, Sustainability Strategy, Excessive Soil, Soil Reuse, CCME, Environmental Management
Many regulatory laws provide for civil – and sometimes even criminal – penalties for noncompliance. Statutes set penalty levels (“XXX dollars per day of violation” for example), at levels intended to provide meaningful deterrence and punishment for noncompliance. But over time, these penalties' stings decline with inflation. To counteract the possibility that less painful penalties reduce incentives for compliance, U.S. law directs most federal agencies to make annual “cost of living” adjustments to the maximum statutory civil penalty levels (there are no provisions for standing periodic adjustments to criminal penalties).
Read MoreTags: OSHA, EPA, regulatory registers, RegulatoryUpdates, EnviromentalCompliance, EHSCompliance