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HSE MATTERS

How secure are your PSM processes?

Highly hazardous chemicals such as toxics, reactives, flammable liquids and gases are used in many industries such as food processing, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, plastics, paints, etc….  If not properly designed, maintained, and managed safely during manufacture, transport, storage, and use, these chemicals can cause disastrous incidents with significant property damage and potentially fatal-consequences. OSHA and EPA both regulate industries with chemicals over certain threshold quantities through their Process Safety Management (PSM) and the Risk Management Plan (RMP) standards,…

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Evaluating Workplace Health Exposures

Under the OSH Act, employers are required to identify and evaluate health hazard(s) in their workplaces, which includes exposures to air contaminants, chemicals, biological and physical hazards. More than 6 million workplaces in the U.S. are covered by OSHA’s permissible exposure limits (PEL) established for over 500 chemicals listed in tables Z-1, Z-2, and Z-3.  Most of OSHA’s exposure limits are 8-hour time-weighted averages (TWA), however, there are short-term exposure limits (STEL) based on 15 minute exposures, ceiling or peak limits that…

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13 Elements of a Fire Door Inspection

Routine visual inspections and operational testing of fire doors is critical to a building’s maintenance and the life safety of its occupants. Fire doors inspected in accordance with the requirements set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code, and NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, require that all fire door assemblies be inspected not less than annually, after installation and maintenance work. Visual inspections and operational…

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Conducting Effective Hazard Assessments

Often during inspections, audits, or accident investigations, we encounter nonexistent, inadequate, or inaccurate hazard assessments. One of the “root causes” of workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present, or that could have been anticipated.  A critical element of any effective safety and health program is a proactive, ongoing process to identify and assess hazards. OSHA requires that hazard assessments be performed in many standards including, but…

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6 Benefits of Partnering to Improve HSE Performance 

Businesses most valuable assets are their workforce.  As such, managing health, safety, and environmental (HSE) aspects and impacts play a critical role in managing a business.  However, for many businesses, managing an HSE system is often overwhelming trying to navigate complex and everchanging regulations, and often do not have the resources to manage internally. For many smaller to mid-sized companies, the responsibilities of managing HSE aspects and impacts often fall on human resources, supervisors, or…

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Major Benefits of Third Party Inspections & Audits 

Performing routine inspections and periodic audits are essential for a company to implement a process that assesses risk and liabilities while developing accurate policies, procedures, and training to continuously improve HSE performance.  Inspections (hazard identification) and audits (program evaluation) are critical to the successful implementation of an effective and continuously improving HSE management system.    Inspections of workplace hazards must be integrated into a company’s HSE program to ensure that hazards are appropriately identified, evaluated (severity,…

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EPA News

- Region 07
EPA Approves Plan to Mitigate Snake River Damage in Northern Nebraska
EPA

LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 27, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a work plan submitted to the Agency by Richard Minor of Gordon, Nebraska, and Cherry County, Nebraska, to mitigate damage to the Snake River resulting from an unauthorized drainage ditch excavated from Minor’s property to the river in 2020.

According to EPA, discharges from the ditch into the river caused extensive environmental harm and violated the federal Clean Water Act.

“The Snake River is a critical aquatic resource,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “EPA is encouraged that Mr. Minor and Cherry County are taking steps to minimize further impacts to the Snake River and downstream property owners.”

According to EPA, in April 2020, Minor and Cherry County personnel excavated the drainage ditch to the Snake River to alleviate flooding, without first obtaining the required Clean Water Act permits.

Within days of completing the approximately 2½-mile ditch, rainfall rapidly eroded it, which resulted in massive amounts of sand being deposited into the Snake River. EPA says that millions of tons of sediment have flowed into the river since the ditch excavation.

Under an Administrative Compliance Order filed with EPA on June 14, 2021, Minor and Cherry County agreed to submit a work plan to mitigate the damage. After multiple delays by Minor and the county, EPA recently received an acceptable work plan, which was approved and finalized on Feb. 22, 2024.

EPA says that implementation of the work plan will take approximately one year, and will include:

The placement of downed trees and woody debris to construct sediment trap structures along the ditch. Construction of earthen berms to prevent excessive flow of water and sediment. The placement of a series of woody debris fences and log structures along the ditch to trap sediment and create wildlife habitat. The installation of a riparian corridor, consisting of native species along sections of the river.

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Learn more about EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Water Act

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- Region 03

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a ceremony alongside federal, state, and local leaders to announce historic funding selections under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to implement local projects to restore the Chesapeake Bay and advance environmental justice. 

In August 2023, EPA announced it was seeking applications from eligible community-based organizations for funding opportunities through the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office to administer the innovative nutrient and sediment reduction grant program, small water grant program, and community capacity building grant program. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these requests for applications marked the largest single investment in local assistance in the history of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office. 

Press Kit Attachments:

Press release 

Organizational Fact Sheet

Speakers Photos & Bios

NFWF Chesapeake Fund Stewardship Fund  

NFWF Chesapeake Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program

NFWF Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program 

Chesapeake Bay Trust Community Capacity Building Background

- Region 06

DALLAS, TEXAS (March 27, 2024) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance recently received a grant for more than $1.4 million from the Gulf of Mexico Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will be used to improve water quality in northeast Louisiana.

As part of the project, farmers will learn how to adopt innovative farming practices, that can decrease nutrient runoff while also enhancing the farmers’ cash crop. When excessive runoff from farms enters into local waterways, it can negatively impact wildlife, human usage (such as fishing and swimming) and water quality down to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Using rice as a cover crop also has the added benefit of creating habitat for waterfowl.

This project will take place in the Bayou Lafouche watershed, along Upper Bayou Galion, and Bayou Coulee and will continue through 2026.

In addition to local farmers, the Alliance is working with state agency partners to implement the project, including the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/Office of Soil and Water Conservation, and Morehouse Soil and Water conservation District.

The project will also include educational components as well as research into how to prevent runoff from contributing to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.

“This funding will bring critical health protections and economic opportunities to the communities in the Gulf who have been overburdened by pollution,” said Acting Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne M. Gettle. “We look forward to seeing transformative projects that will work to advance protection and restoration of vital watersheds.”

“The Gulf Coast communities understand the environmental issues impacting this watershed and they are eager to develop innovative solutions to safeguard this resource,” said Region 6 Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “This funding will implement climate resilience strategies, provide improvements in water quality, and ensure that coastline habitats continue to thrive. I would like to thank all the parties involved in this announcement for ensuring this critical watershed is maintained and protected.”

“A multi-faceted project like this touches on several of our priority issues, from improving water quality in and around the Gulf to supporting underserved communities and creating habitat for wildlife,” said Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. “Thank you to EPA and to our partners for supporting important projects like this.”

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a regional partnership focused on enhancing the environmental and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico through increased collaboration. Led by the five Gulf states, our network includes over 150 participating organizations from state and federal agencies, tribal governments, communities, academia, non-governmental organizations, and industry. Priority issues addressed by the Alliance include coastal community resilience; data and monitoring; education; habitat; water resources; wildlife and fisheries; and marine debris. gulfofmexicoalliance.org

The Gulf of Mexico Division is a non-regulatory program of EPA founded to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the region. To carry out its mission, the Gulf of Mexico Division continues to maintain and expand partnerships with state and federal agencies, federally recognized tribes, local governments and authorities, academia, regional businesses and industries, agricultural and environmental organizations, and individual citizens and communities.

For more information visit: www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or visit our homepage.

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