The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) guides August Mack through the Tier II reporting season at the beginning of each new year. EPCRA was passed by Congress in 1986 in response to environmental concerns about the storage and handling of toxic chemicals. President Reagan signed EPCRA into law, [...]
Have you ever heard the phrase “ignorance is bliss”? I’m sure we all have. Unfortunately, that phrase isn’t always correct, especially when it comes to environmental and safety regulatory infractions. Setting aside the moral obligation to protect our workforce and natural resources, with documented fines reaching the million dollar mark [...]
What do non-stick coated pans, waterproof fabrics, oil-resistant food packaging, stain-resistant materials, and fire-fighting foam all have in common? They all potentially contain fluorinated compounds, and more specifically, are made with a suite of specialty chemicals called Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOAs). PFOS and PFOAs both are fluorinated [...]
The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I ESA) is a common report used to identify potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities for real estate transactions. A Phase I can provide important information about a property, but can also be overlooked as simply a check box on long list of [...]
Vapor Intrusion (“VI”), or the migration of contaminant vapors from soil and groundwater into overlying structures, has been a significant topic in the environmental world for over 20 years. Common contaminants associated with VI are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include gasoline constituents, such as benzene, and industrial degreasing and [...]
Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) is a powerful tool required for Process Safety Management (PSM) found at 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.119 (e). The objective of a PHA is an analysis of hazards following a formalized approach including the team organizational structure. The art and science include selecting the level [...]
In my eighteen (18) years as consultant, I’ve seen a lot of oversight of environmental regulations (regs) by a number of clients. Typically, these oversights are not due to negligence. Rather, I find, it’s purely a lack of awareness of the environmental regs that apply to their specific industry. If [...]
Industrial hygiene also referred to as occupational hygiene, is defined as anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling health hazards in the workplace. The OSHA Act of 1970 set mandatory occupational safety and health requirements to protect employees from workplace hazards. What steps should an employer take to comply with OSHA? Every [...]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed the flammable liquids standard to provide guidance on identifying, storing, and managing these materials. In 2012, OSHA revised the flammable liquids standard to incorporate the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). This revision changed the standard from “Flammable and Combustible Liquids” to “Flammable Liquids” [...]
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) is the overarching federal management regime for the disposal of hazardous waste. This act dictates the different classifications of waste, such as hazardous, municipal, and industrial (non-hazardous), as well as the management requirements associated with each classification. It can be daunting [...]
