JGE EHS Headline News

Scientists say global heating is driving ice loss and warmer water, as ice cover falls short of 50-year average of 18%

The average ice cover over the five Great Lakes was just 6% last month, placing it among the least icy Januarys since records began 50 years ago, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

The Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario – are located at or near the US-Canada border, and are connected by a network of smaller lakes and rivers that span a combined surface area of 95,000 sq miles, making it the largest freshwater system in the world.

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Investor-State Dispute Settlements are legal, huge and often hush-hush – and fossil fuel firms and others are using them to hold the planet to ransom

• How a US mining firm sued Mexico for billions – for trying to protect its own seabed

What do you get if you cross the planet’s richest 1%, a global legal system adapted to their investment whims, and the chance to squeeze billions from governments? The answer is “Investor-State Dispute Settlements”, or ISDS, alternatively dubbed “litigation terrorism” by Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel prize-winning economist. ISDS is a corporate tribunal system, where a panel of unelected lawyers decides whether a company is owed compensation if the actions of national governments leave its assets “stranded”.

In hearings, which are often held behind closed doors, ISDS documents, claims, awards, settlements – even the content of cases – need not be made public, regardless of any public-interest considerations.

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On February 1, 2024, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a NIOSH Science Blog item entitled “NIOSH Global Collaborations on Workplace Safety of Nanomaterials.” According to the blog item, NIOSH’s global collaboration efforts “build on the strong NIOSH [Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC)] research and guidance efforts contributing to the global technical information and guidance about protecting workers and aim to facilitate international collaborations for research and for development and dissemination of

The post NIOSH Collaborates Globally on Workplace Safety of Nanomaterials appeared first on Bergeson & Campbell, P.C..

Over a five-year period (2015 to 2020), 117,000 homecare workers were treated in emergency departments for work-related injuries, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced February 6 in the latest edition of its eNews publication. The recently completed research found that nearly all injured workers (93%) were female.

Home health and personal care workers monitor the condition of people, often elderly, with chronic illnesses or disabilities and assist them with daily living activities. They often work alone with their clients in private homes, leading to unique safety challenges.

More than half of the injuries (52%) were from overexertion and repetitive motions. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 15% of injuries, and violent acts by people or animals also accounted for 15% of injuries.

Homecare work is a growing occupation. Approximately 3.6 million home health and personal care aides were employed in the United States in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That number is projected to increase by 25% to 4.6 million workers by 2031.

As the number of homecare workers continues to grow, putting more workers at risk for injury, more research is needed to understand and prevent the factors contributing to work-related injury risk among homecare workers, according to NIOSH.

Researchers used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System—Occupational Supplement (NEISS-Work). NEISS-Work, supported by a partnership between NIOSH and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), collects information on work-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments.

The study appears in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Spotlight on NIOSH research into robotics in construction

The February edition of NIOSH’s eNews also featured a note from NIOSH Director John Howard highlighting the work of the institute’s Center for Occupational Robotics Research. NIOSH’s robotics research crosses multiple work sectors, including an area of specific focus on robots in construction.

As the construction industry, which employs about 11.4 million workers, has some of the highest numbers of fatalities and injuries among all industries, the industry is a natural fit for the use of robots to minimize workers’ risks.

Robotic technologies used in construction include masonry robots to lay bricks, demolition robots to perform building demolition, and drones to perform inspections at elevation.

The NIOSH Robotics Center uses virtual reality (VR) to identify and prevent potential hazards in the construction industry. The research includes using VR to identify hazards and assess the machine-, human-, and environment-related factors of using demolition robots.

Researchers also use VR to examine drone use in construction and its effects on workers at heights. VR can help determine if using drones distracts workers at height, including evaluating the effect of drone use on worker attention, as well as physiological responses.

NIOSH and its partners recently hosted a “Safe Human-Robot Interaction in Construction” webinar. Webinar topics included:

• Innovative field robotics applications,
• Funding opportunities for human-robot interaction in construction,
• Removing barriers to construction work through remote construction operations,
• Exploring the biomechanics of human-robot collaboration, and
• Identifying special safety considerations for the future of increased automation in construction.

The post NIOSH Looks at Homecare Worker Injuries appeared first on EHS Daily Advisor.

This week, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Take Care of Texas program announced a new partnership with Texas PBS as part of a statewide awareness campaign about ways Texans can protect and conserve the people, places, and natural resources in our state. The partnership aims to promote awareness of conservation efforts in Texas through tip videos featuring Chet Garner, host of PBS’ The Daytripper.

As part of this partnership, educational units, including free lesson plans and student worksheets designed for Texas teachers, will be available on PBS LearningMedia starting this month. The collection covers conservation topics related to air, water, and waste.

PBS LearningMedia offers free educational resources for PreK-12 educators and students, with a focus on enhancing educator practice and promoting equitable student learning. The collection on PBS LearningMedia, developed by Texas PBS, uses insights and data from TCEQ researchers and science communicators to provide science-based educational resources.

Take Care of Texas is a statewide program of TCEQ that provides helpful information on Texas’ successes in environmental protection and encourages all Texans to take the pledge to keep air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste.

The post Texas Teams with PBS Television to Promote Statewide Conservation Campaign appeared first on The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS).

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), spearheaded by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, has been signed by directors of environmental agencies of California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island. Recognizing their common decarbonization goals, this MOU establishes a shared target for heat pumps to meet at least 65% of residential-scale heating, air conditioning, and water heating equipment sales by 2030 – and 90% by 2040 – across the participating states. Under this MOU, states will also collaborate to collect market data, track progress, and develop an action plan for widespread residential building electrification.

Buildings are a major hidden source of pollution, which comes from combustion of fossil fuels in furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. According to the signatories, heat pumps are a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional heating and cooling systems, and because they’re electric, they are able to run on renewables like wind and solar, thus helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

To encourage the widespread adoption of heat pumps, the agreement also emphasizes collaboration with key stakeholders, including heat pump manufacturers and HVAC installers. In a February 6 letter, several manufacturers – including Carrier, Ikea, Trane, Johnson Controls, Siemens and Sierra Nevada – voiced support for the effort.

The post New Multi-State Agreement Focuses on Expanding Use of Energy-Efficient Heat Pumps appeared first on The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS).

On January 31, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will hold a webinar on February 20, 2024, at 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (EST) on the five chemicals currently undergoing prioritization under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that the webinar is open to all, “but EPA is particularly interested in learning more about how these chemicals are used and how people could potentially be exposed at different points in

The post EPA Will Hold Webinar on February 20, 2024, on Five Chemicals Undergoing TSCA Prioritization appeared first on Bergeson & Campbell, P.C..

Trump has made campaign promises to toss crucial environmental regulations – including dismantling the federal body with the most power to tackle the climate crisis

Donald Trump and his advisers have made campaign promises to toss crucial environmental regulations and boost the planet-heating fossil fuel sector.

Those plans include systemically dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal body with the most power to take on the climate emergency and environmental justice, an array of Trump advisers and allies said. It’s a potential future that “horrifies” experts.

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A federal court ordered a Milford, Connecticut, sports bar to pay a total of $359,485 in back pay, emotional distress damages, withheld compensation, and punitive damages to employees who were fired after participating in an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection, the agency announced February 7.

Department of Labor (DOL) attorneys filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut against Milford Sports Bars LLC, doing business as Champions Grill and Bar, and Loren Drotos, also known as Mark Roberts, Mark Drotos, and Mark Lawrence. The DOL alleged that, after employees were fired, the employers sought to further discourage employees from engaging in protected activities, such as cooperating with federal investigators, sending a message to employees that they shouldn’t talk to OSHA inspectors.

“Discouraging or preventing workers from participating in an OSHA inspection may mask or delay identification of hazards that could harm workers,” Galen Blanton, OSHA’s Boston regional administrator, said in a statement. “Employees have a right to participate in OSHA inspections and to file a whistleblower complaint if their employer retaliates against them for exercising their rights.” 

OSHA’s whistleblower protection authority was established in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to protect workers who lodge safety or health complaints or cooperate with agency investigations of workplace safety and health violations. OSHA is now responsible for investigating whistleblower complaints under more than 20 federal statutes.

Ohio chicken plant facing $393K in OSHA fines

Case Farms Processing Inc., a chicken processing plant in Winesburg, Ohio, faces $393,449 in OSHA penalties for three repeat, seven serious, and four other-than-serious violations, the agency announced February 7. OSHA also placed Case Farms Processing in its Severe Violators Enforcement Program.

Inspectors found machine guarding and trip-and-fall hazards in the facility’s live-hang department that are similar to violations found during earlier inspections. OSHA cited the employer for not using required lockout/tagout procedures, not training workers in lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of machine guarding to protect workers from contact with operating machine parts, and exposing workers to fall and electrical hazards.

According to OSHA, since 1988, the agency has cited Case Farms 70 times at its facilities in North Carolina and Ohio, resulting in about 450 violations—most related to machine guarding, lockout/tagout procedures, fall and electrical hazards, and processing safety management. 

“Case Farms Processing again violated federal safety regulations to protect workers on the job. Returning to a facility to find similar violations identified in previous inspections, makes OSHA gravely concerned about worker safety at this facility,” Larry Johnson, OSHA’s Columbus, Ohio, area office director, said in a statement. “Case Farms exposes its Winesburg workforce–mostly workers with limited English proficiency–to life-altering injuries. The company must come into compliance with the law immediately.”

OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1910.147) is its sixth most cited standard, the agency announced last fall. OSHA cited 2,554 lockout/tagout violations in fiscal year (FY) 2023. The machine guarding standard (§1910.212) is OSHA’s 10th most cited standard, cited 1,644 times in FY 2023.

The post Connecticut Sports Bar Ordered to Pay $359K in Whistleblower Suit appeared first on EHS Daily Advisor.

This week I discuss with my colleague, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group, our consulting affiliate, what to expect in 2024 regarding TSCA developments. Rich is a leading voice on all things TSCA, especially new chemicals, and a widely sought after thought leader on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg), Congress’ 2016 amendments to the

The post TSCA Developments in 2024 — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. appeared first on Bergeson & Campbell, P.C..

Publication date: March 2024

Source: Emerging Contaminants, Volume 10, Issue 1

Author(s): Adi Tiya Yanuar, Zulkisam Pramudia, Yogita Ayu Dwi Susanti, Andi Kurniawan

Publication date: Available online 8 February 2024

Source: Emerging Contaminants

Author(s): Francesco Calore, Elena Badetti, Alessandro Bonetto, Anna Pozzobon, Antonio Marcomini

Experts say the endangered insect numbers fell by 59% this year, blaming pesticide use and climate change for the reduction

The number of endangered monarch butterflies at their wintering areas in Mexico has dropped by 59% this year to the second lowest level since record keeping began, experts said, blaming pesticide use and climate change.

The annual butterfly count doesn’t calculate the individual number of butterflies, but rather the number of hectares they cover when they clump together on tree branches in the mountain pine and fir forests west of Mexico City. Monarchs from east of the Rocky Mountains in the US and Canada overwinter there.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 24, 2024, that it is extending the review period for confidential business information (CBI) claims for specific identity of all active chemical substances listed on the confidential portion of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory submitted to EPA under TSCA. 89 Fed. Reg. 4605. EPA states that it “has determined that an extension of the statutory review period for the review of CBI claims under

The post EPA Extends Review Period for CBI Claims for the Identity of Chemicals on the TSCA Inventory appeared first on Bergeson & Campbell, P.C..

Pets reportedly account for up to 30% of emissions associated with domestic meat consumption, so the newly developed protein intends to reduce reliance on animal production used to make pet foods.

Ruling, specific to three dicamba-based weedkillers, is major blow to Bayer, BASF and Syngenta

Dealing a blow to three of the world’s biggest agrochemical companies, a US court this week banned three weedkillers widely used in American agriculture, finding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law in allowing them to be on the market.

The ruling is specific to three dicamba-based weedkillers manufactured by Bayer, BASF and Syngenta, which have been blamed for millions of acres of crop damage and harm to endangered species and natural areas across the midwest and south.

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The combined data management offering aims to respond to cited concerns from business leaders, many of whom express difficulty in measuring their organization's environmental impact.

Publication date: Available online 6 February 2024

Source: Emerging Contaminants

Author(s): Bocheng Chen, Beibei He, Hao Wu, An Liu

BorgWarner, Cummins, Eaton, and Ford are asking the EPA to finalize a rule for new greenhouse gas standards for a planned model year 2027 start date, which rejects an earlier proposal to delay the start until 2030.

Environmental Protection Agency sets lower limits on fine particle pollution, estimated to cause 85,000 to 225,000 deaths annually

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized long-awaited new limits on soot, the tiny air pollution particles emitted by sources as varied as power plants, factories, car exhaust and wildfires.

“Today’s action is a critical step forward that will better protect workers, families and communities from the dangerous and costly impacts of fine particle pollution,” the EPA administrator, Michael Regan, told reporters on Tuesday.

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