The June HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back July 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The June winner is Janet Duncan Congratulations!
May HAZWOPER Challenge
The May HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back June 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
You were STUMPED for the month of May!
April HAZWOPER Challenge
The April HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back May 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The April winner is T. Montgomery Congratulations!
March HAZWOPER Challenge
The March HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back April 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The March winner is Pat Tapley Congratulations!
February HAZWOPER Challenge
The February HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back March 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The February winner is Brent Gilliam Congratulations!
2023 OSHA 300A Posting and Reporting
Welcome to 2023! It’s time again to prepare, certify and post your OSHA 300A Annual Summary of workplace injuries and illnesses in your workplace? It’s required 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 that are exempt from OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping requirements. 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.
Your workplace Annual Summary must be posted from February 1st to April 30th. Electronic reporting is also due by March 2nd for employers with 20 or more employees.
For the PDF versions of the OSHA 300 forms series, click here or for more information on OSHA 300 reporting click here.
EPA Expands Definition of “Waters of the United States”
Effective March 20, 2023, the portion of waters of the United States (WOTUS) subject to federal regulatory control under the Clean Water Act (CWA) will be increasing. This is the latest iteration of the rule, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Corps of Engineers describe as “a clear and reasonable definition of waters of the United States” designed to “reduce the uncertainty from constantly changing regulatory definitions that has harmed communities and our nation’s waters.”
As before, wetlands adjacent to traditional navigable waters, territorial seas, or interstate waters are under jurisdiction of the CWA. The new rule will include tributaries that flow into these waters, as well as nearby wetlands, depending on their permanence and interconnectedness. If the waters are “relatively permanent” or can “significantly affect WOTUS”, private and public parties performing work in or near these new waters may be subjected to regulations and permitting under the CWA. These waters can include, naturally occurring ditches, prairie potholes, ephemeral drainages, and low spots on farmlands, and can be considered “relatively permanent” if continuous flow exists at any time during a year. Significant potential effects include nutrients, sediment, temperature, and pollutants.
Additional information on this rule can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/wotus/revising-definition-waters-united-states
November HAZWOPER Challenge
The November HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back February 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The November winner is J. Scott Congratulations!
October HAZWOPER Challenge
The October HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back November 1st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!
The October winner is Jill Wagner Congratulations!
Update to OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program
On September 15, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced updates to the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) that will expand the criteria for being placed in the program. Along with expanding the criteria, OSHA also outlined new information on follow-up inspections and conditions for being removed from the program. The SVEP was developed to focus enforcement efforts on those employers that willfully violated certain safety and health standards, repeatedly violated standards, or refused to correct violations. The update will broaden the scope of the program standards that would be included.
According to OSHA, the following criteria updates will be included:
Getting into the program:
- Employers will be placed in the program for citations of at least two willful or repeated violations or who receive failure-to-abate notices based on the presence of high-gravity serious violations.
Follow-up while in the program:
- After notice of the final order, follow-up or referral inspections will be made yearly – but not longer than two years.
Getting out of the program:
- Employers have the potential of removal from the Severe Violator Enforcement Program three years after the date of receiving verification from the employer that all program-related hazards have been abated.
- Employers’ have the ability to reduce time spent in the program to two years, if they consent to an enhanced settlement agreement that includes use of a safety and health management system with seven basic elements in OSHA’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs.
For more information regarding the update, click here.