On December 5, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum to EPA Regional Water Division Directors related to addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) discharges in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. This important step is designed to monitor and reduce PFAS discharges to surface waters. The EPA memorandum provides PFAS-related guidance […]
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Proposed Changes to OSHA PSM: How it May Affect Your Site
In September 2022, OSHA formally announced proposed amendments to the Process Safety Management (PSM) standard in response to Executive Order 13650. This executive order, signed in 2013, required OSHA and EPA to perform “modernization” efforts to their respective PSM and Risk Management Program (RMP) standards. EnSafe attended OSHA’s PSM Stakeholder meeting in October 2022 to […]
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Written Health and Safety Programs are Just Good Common Sense
To Write or Not to Write – That is the Question Whether your business is undergoing a self-imposed health and safety audit, a voluntary audit from an accredited organization, or a not-so-voluntary inspection through a regulatory agency, one of the first items likely to be requested by the auditor is a copy of your written […]
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U.S. EPA Announces Intent to Designate PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances
On Friday, August 26, 2022, U.S. EPA announced its intent to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as CERCLA hazardous substances. U.S. EPA posted a pre-publication notice for the Federal Register listing, including Supplemental Information describing the basis for designation. This rulemaking marks the first time U.S. EPA has used its authority under […]
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Alternative Protective Measures, The Bridge Between Lockout Tagout and Machine Guarding
The requirements for using Lockout Tagout (LOTO) to control hazardous energy during machine servicing and maintenance are clearly prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.147, but OSHA enforcement citing of the LOTO Standard consistently remains in the top 10 most frequently cited standards. Why? LOTO requirements are not always consistently or correctly followed, and they’re often viewed […]
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