Chemicals

Eye and face hazards are a common cause of workplace injuries, often resulting from exposure to chemicals, particles, flying objects, tools and radiation. With Workplace Eye Wellness Month coming up in March, it’s the perfect time to make sure you’ve taken the right steps for safety. VelocityEHS offers an Eye and Face Protection training course […]

The cost of noncompliance is going up! On February 6, 2019 EPA issued a final rule that introduces increases to civil monetary penalties for the range of environmental statutes and regulations enforced by the agency. Let’s take a deeper look at the increases and their potential impact on your business. Background The Federal Civil Penalties […]

EPA has issued a new final rule officially titled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine.” The rule, issued on December 11, aims to reduce the compliance burden on healthcare facilities generating waste pharmaceuticals and retailers who sell certain nicotine products, while facilitating re-use and enabling better management […]

In our previous post “Intro to Hazard Communication, Part One,” we provided an introductory primer for those of you who may be new to HazCom and needed a little help getting oriented. This post will pick up where our previous one left off, and help you continue on your HazCom journey. Please feel free to […]

On December 3, 1984, a leak at a pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal, India caused the release of 40 tons of a highly toxic gas called methyl isocyanate – as well as a number of other poisonous gases – into the air. The poisonous gas had both immediate and lasting effects; it’s estimated […]

The day has finally arrived! The deadline for employer compliance with Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015) is Saturday December 1, 2018. From that point, employers across Canada (with the exception of federally regulated workplaces) will be required to have ONLY WHMIS 2015 safety data sheets, supplier labels and workplace container labels for […]

On November 9, 2018, OSHA published a Final Rule amending the requirements for crane and derrick operator training, certification and employer evaluation under its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard at 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC. The long-awaited Final Rule, which goes into effect on December 10, 2018, introduces several significant changes that will directly […]

This Thursday, November 22, people across the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Many businesses will be closed, and many of us will be taking stock of the people we’re thankful for. Our employees work hard for us year round, and our safety performance depends on them. We should certainly be thankful for their efforts […]

Congratulations! You’ve learned that you’re responsible for managing Hazard Communication (HazCom) for your company’s chemical inventory. That’s a huge responsibility, but it’s also a great opportunity to improve workplace safety and become an EHS leader. You might feel overwhelmed. We get it – we’ve all been there before. It can be difficult to even get […]

December 1, 2018 is the final deadline for compliance with Health Canada’s GHS-aligned Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015). By this date, all chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers who handle hazardous products in Canada – or doing business with Canadian companies – covered by WHMIS 2015 must be in full compliance with the […]