Regulations & Compliance

Welcome to VelocityEHS’ news roundup, featuring the latest EHS headlines that you might have missed. Among this week’s topics are several OSHA updates, including the agency’s focus on key worker hazards in healthcare facilities, approved legislation that would reduce its fiscal year 2016 budget, and new safety fact sheets for California workers and employers. Other […]

More than a decade ago, the chemical compound diacetyl, which is used to add flavor and aroma to foods and other products, came under fire after an investigation by The National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health exposed it as responsible for lung disease in several microwave popcorn plant workers. The disease, bronchiolitis obliterans—often called […]

As a consumer, I go into grocery stores often.  Like many of us, I don’t always go in with my “ergo eyes”. I am usually thinking about what I need to buy. Having recently worked with clients in retail and food distribution, however, I became very aware of common ergonomic issues that exist in this […]

What is Hydrogen Peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide was first discovered in the early 19th century, but the pure chemical was not produced until 1894. Today, this chemical is produced in quantities of more than 2 million tons worldwide each year. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound usually produced as a diluted solution. This colorless, slightly viscous […]

What is Phosphoric Acid? Phosphoric acid is a colorless, odorless mineral acid. With an acidic taste and somewhat viscous consistency, phosphoric acid is used in a wide variety of products and industries. Despite its popularity, this chemical can pose some potentially significant health hazards and should be handled with caution. Common Uses of Phosphoric Acid […]

What is Sodium Carbonate? Sodium carbonate is a white crystalline or powdered chemical that is odorless with an alkaline taste. This material comes from the ashes of plants that grow in sodium-rich soil. Also known as soda ash, sodium carbonate is sometimes produced synthetically from salt and limestone. Sodium carbonate can cause mild-to-severe health hazards and should […]

Part of the National Safety Council’s focus during National Safety Month 2015 is ergonomics, or how people can function most safely and effectively in their work environments. While employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace for their employees, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) remain a significant cause of time off the job in numerous industries. […]

According to a newly-released Department of Labor spring regulatory agenda, OSHA is planning to propose seven final rules before the end of 2015, including a rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. According to the agenda abstract, OSHA “is making changes to its reporting system” because it believes this “would enable a more […]

In May of 2012, OSHA officially adopted the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) and set in motion a series of compliance deadlines for chemical manufacturers, distributors and employers who are covered by the Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). The second and most important of those deadlines, June 1, 2015, was crossed yesterday. That was the deadline by […]

Here are the links to two publicly available manual material handling calculators. For further information on this topic, view the archived webinar we presented last week on warehouse ergonomics. NIOSH – https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/niosh/calculating_rwl.html Refer to this link to utilize the NIOSH Lifting Equation calculator from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. As long as […]