Regulatory

EPA is ready to release preliminary assessments of more than 80 chemicals produced in high or moderate volume and has identified some chemicals for which it may need rules to force manufacturers to conduct testing or collect data. EPA might need to issue a test rule for eight chemicals and a data-collection rule for another 10 chemicals.

The EPA is expected to issue more stringent regulations to protect fish and waterways from cooling water intake structures following an April 1 U.S. Supreme Court decision.The Supreme Court decision basically left it to EPA to decide whether and how to compare costs to benefits as it drafts appropriate rules for cooling water structures for existing power plants.

In a decision issued February 23, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) permissible exposure limit for hexavalent chromium of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of air as an 8-hour time-weighted average. Public Citizen Health Research Group had brought the suit against OSHA, arguing that the standard was not sufficiently protective of people exposed to hexavalent chromium in the workplace and was not substantiated by the health effects data. 

ENHESA Flash January 2009 - A newsletter concerning environment, health and safety regulations in countries and regions around the world.  This link to a non-ORC publication is offered for the convenience of ORC members.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking comments on a proposal to revise the Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI) that states use to report daily concentrations for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. The proposal also would set a “significant harm level” for PM 2.5, which states use in developing emergency episode plans. EPA will hold a public hearing March 5, 2009 in in the Dallas area.

A Fact Sheet which outlines the proposed revisions is available at: http://www.epa.gov/pm/pdfs/20090115fs.pdf.

During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama made a number of pledges to "strengthen occupational safety and health" by increasing funding for OSHA inspections and training....

On December 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published final rules to ensure the safety of longshoring employees. The final rule is intended to reduce hazards related to the use of  vertical tandem lifts (VTLs) (lifting two shipping containers at a time using cranes) by ensuring that safe work practices are followed. The rule was published in the Federal Register (73 FR 75246).  Copies can be viewed or downloaded at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-28644.pdf.

 The prominent roles of the nation's courts has been a central theme, for better or worse., in the evolution of occupational safety and health in the United States

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) controversial risk assessment proposal has prompted a flurry of comments from safety and labor stakeholders, including the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), which announced its support of the proposal in a move that conflicts with several organizations that openly oppose it.