EPA’s Leadership

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On March 11th, Michael S. Regan was sworn in as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency replacing Andrew S. Wheeler.

Prior to his nomination as EPA Administrator, Michael Regan served as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Associate Vice President of U.S. Climate and Energy, and as Southeast Regional Director of the Environmental Defense Fund, and national program manager responsible for designing strategic solutions with industry and corporate stakeholders with the USEPA.

Other EPA administrative staff include Chief of Staff Dan Utech (1/20/2021) and Special Assistant to the Administrator John Lucey (1/20/2021).  The Deputy Administrator position is still vacant but 1/15/2021 Biden identified Janet McCabe as his nominee.  EPA’s administrative organization chart is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/organization-chart-office-administrator.

OSHA’s Leadership

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On April 9th, President Biden announced Doug Parker is his nominee to lead OSHA, replacing Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Loren E. Sweatt . From the official announcement (link below)

Doug “previously served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, and was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team focused on worker health and safety issues. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor. He currently serves as chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA)”.

President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation | The White House

Other OSHA leaders include Chief of Staff Leah Ford (2/16/2021), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James Frederick (1/28/2021), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pandemic and Emergency Response Joseph Hughes, Jr. (1/28/2021), and Deputy Assistant Secretary Amanda Edens (4/1/2021).  OSHA’s administrative organization chart is available at https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHAorgchart.pdf.

Safety Fest 2021 (Boise) – Chemical PFAS

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Beth Hodgson presented today at the Safety Fest of the Great Northwest virtual conference on “Chemical PFAS – Health & Remediation Update”.   Polyfluroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals with a carbon and fluorine atom backbone that are “forever” chemicals.  Copies of the handouts, EPA December 2021 guidance, and EPA FACT sheet are available here.

2021 OSHA 300A Posting and Reporting

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It’s 2021! That means it’s time again to prepare, certify and post your OSHA 300A Annual Summary of workplace injuries and illnesses in your workplace. To comply with regulations, they must be posted from 1 February to 30 April. It is a requirement for all U.S. employers, except those with ten or fewer employees or those whose NAICS code is in the set of low-hazard industries exempt from OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping requirements.

Additionally, for those organizations that require electronic filing, they must do so by the March 2nd deadline. If employers in State Plan states (e.g. Washington) have questions about their obligation to submit injury and illness information, please contact your State Plan office.

For the Excel versions of the OSHA 300 forms series, click here.

2020 HAZWOPER Challenge Year in Review

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What another great year for HAZWOPER training here at Spring Environmental. We were able to overcome the many obstacles presented to us by COVID-19 restrictions to complete annual refresher training for some of the best professionals throughout the Inland Northwest. Sharing many hours of training and experiences both in-person and remotely helped everyone to improve upon their foundational knowledge to address HAZWOPER program standards. The HAZWOPER Challenge has been a supplemental tool to allow professionals to stay engaged and test their knowledge throughout the year. We were able to distribute some sweet gifts to the winners and are looking to continue the excellent program participation in 2021.

To wrap up 2020, we have compiled the whole list of questions along with answers and explanations as another tool for you to utilize in your HAZWOPER toolbox. Be on the lookout January 2nd as we unveil the first challenge for 2021. Looking forward to another great year!

2020 HAZWOPER Challenge Year in Review