Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

Tornadoes Happen…Are you Prepared?

Posted by STP Editorial Team on Wed, Sep 17, 2014

Tornadoes can occur with little or no warning. Taking precautions in advance of the storms, such as developing an emergency plan, learning the warning signs, and monitoring tornado watches and warnings, can help you stay safe if a tornado occurs in your area.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Health & Safety, OSHA, Training, EHS

EPA May Require Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plan

Posted by Jon Elliott on Mon, Sep 08, 2014

The Clean Water Act (CWA), as amended after the Exxon Valdez spill by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, imposes oil spill planning requirements on onshore and offshore facilities involved in the handling and transport of oil. These facilities may be required to prepare and implement a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan (and perhaps a more detailed Facility Response Plan). During 2001-2011, EPA adopted a series of significant changes to its SPCC Plan regulations, requiring compliance by most facilities no later than November 10, 2011.

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Tags: Business & Legal, Health & Safety, OSHA, Environmental risks, EHS, EPA, Underground Storage Tanks

EPA Seeks Comments On Accidental Release Prevention Requirements

Posted by Jon Elliott on Thu, Sep 04, 2014

In August 2013, President Obama issued an Executive Order directing federal regulatory agencies to review specified regulatory programs that are designed to prevent catastrophic releases of toxics: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Chemical Process Safety Management Standard (PSM); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Accidental Release Prevention (ARP) program and Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) program; and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program (I blogged about the EO here, OSHA’s consideration of PSM changes here, and about one of the agencies’ joint reports on progress here). EPA has just issued a request for information on the possible revisions to ARP requirements, which are described below.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Health & Safety, OSHA, Environmental risks, Environmental, EPA

Managing Confined Space—Ensuring Worker Safety in Unusual Circumstances

Posted by Melanie Powers on Wed, Sep 03, 2014

Specialty Technical Consultants
Free Webinar

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2014
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Tags: Employer Best Practices, Health & Safety, OSHA, Employee Rights, Training, Environmental risks, EHS, Webinar

Production Company Cited for Safety Violations Causing Worker Injury and Fatality

Posted by STP Editorial Team on Tue, Sep 02, 2014

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Employer Best Practices, Health & Safety, OSHA, Employee Rights

Employment Law: Protecting Temporary Workers

Posted by Jon Elliott on Tue, Aug 05, 2014

Is your employer hiring "temp" workers this summer—to serve tourists, meet cascading production deadlines, tend crops, or maybe just to fill in while permanent workers take vacations? Most employers recognize that occupational safety and health laws throughout North America assign them an Employer's General Duty to protect their own employees from workplace hazards. Some don’t remember that this duty also applies to shared employees, and even to other employers’ employees while they’re at your workplace. This month, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is re-emphasizing ongoing efforts to ensure protections for temporary workers ("temps"), extending the Temporary Worker Initiative it started in 2013.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Employer Best Practices, Health & Safety, OSHA, Employee Rights, Training

OSHA: Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Employees from Amputations

Posted by STP Editorial Team on Mon, Jul 28, 2014

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised a guide that identifies eight mechanical motions and eight hazardous actions that present possible amputation hazards. The guide also sets forth steps employers can take to reduce these hazards. The material is appropriate for anyone responsible for the operation, servicing, and care of machines or equipment: employers, employees, safety professionals, and industrial hygienists. Topics covered in this document include hazard analysis, awareness devices, and hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), and safeguarding machinery. An excerpt follows:

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Health & Safety, OSHA, California Legislation, Training

Investigation of Construction Incidents to Reduce Injuries and Fatalities

Posted by STP Editorial Team on Thu, Jul 10, 2014

The Directorate of Construction, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a website that provides original investigations of collapses and other incidents. Many of the incidents resulted in one or more worker fatalities, and most of them resulted in multi-million dollar property loss, lawsuits, or settlements. Each investigation was performed at the request of an OSHA field office or State Plan OSHA as part of an enforcement inspection.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Employer Best Practices, Health & Safety, OSHA, Training, Environmental risks, Environmental

OSHA: Avoiding Heat Illness

Posted by Jon Elliott on Tue, Jun 03, 2014

It's nearly time to start worrying that outdoor work in the summer sun will lead to heat illness. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides some guidance to employers and their workers, while the Sun Belt California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) administers detailed regulatory requirements promulgated under state law. If you have outdoor workers in California you must comply with the following requirements, while if you're anywhere else you should at least consider them.

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, Employer Best Practices, OSHA, Employee Rights, California Legislation, Environmental risks, Environmental, EHS, EPA

Obama Requests $204.6 Million Budget for BSEE

Posted by STP Editorial Team on Wed, Apr 30, 2014

News from The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Press Release Issued April 3, 2014

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Tags: Corporate Governance, Business & Legal, SEC, OSHA, Environmental risks, Environmental, EHS, Oil & Gas, climate change