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

OSHA Updates General Industry Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Inspection Plan

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Effective 12/14/2020, OSHA issued a directive updating the 2016 SST inspection plan initiative. The initiative is enforced by all states governed by OSHA and may require updates to state plans to ensure that inspection policies and procedures are as effective as OSHA’s. The SST program targets non-construction businesses with 20 or more employees. By utilizing reported injury and illness information, the program directs enforcement resources to those entities with higher rates to help provide safe and healthy work environments. Per the directive, “OSHA will generate inspection lists of establishments with elevated Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rates, both for CY 2019, and sites with upward trending rates for the three-year range of CY 2017-2019.” (1) As stated, the initiative now includes a three year data set to highlight trends. OSHA will also include businesses that did not report the required 300A information and a random selection of low-rate businesses to ensure quality control of the program. For all of the updated information, please review the directive utilizing the link below.

Site-Specific Targeting (SST) (osha.gov)