Yesterday I shared the link to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Association’s (PHMSA) free training modules on my Facebook page and Twitter account. I wanted to use this post to discuss the training requirements for the Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials. In Are you Shipping Batteries? I mentioned that for many companies,…
Frequently Shipped Hazardous Materials
Following is a list of commonly shipped hazardous materials that are typically undeclared–that means they are shipped illegally. Need more information? Check out my post on DOT training requirements.
FAQ: Which companies are required to track employee work-related injuries and illnesses?
Did you know the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires most US based companies to record and report work-related injuries and illnesses? Let’s discuss each requirement a little further:
Are You Shipping Batteries?
Based on my experience, one of the largest areas of non-compliance is the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat). Many times logistics or warehouse personnel are unaware that hazardous materials are required to be packaged, unloaded, loaded, documented and shipped in a manner that is compliant with the Department of Transportation (DOT), the International Air Transportation…
Managing Electronic Waste
Over the last week I have been researching electronic waste (e-waste) for a client project. During my research I discovered something that is intuitive but probably not often considered, as our society integrates more electronics—smartphones, readers, tablet computers, etc.—the disposal of these materials is of increasing concern. One of the most astounding facts I…
Six Competence Boosting Strategies
The last thing most companies should want is to waste hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours and dollars; yet when we consider the ineffectiveness of most training that is exactly what occurs. The question we must consider is: “are the employees competent?” Are they able to perform the job or task in a way that meets…
Identify and Keep Track of Training
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) compliance typically includes the regulatory requirements from OSHA, EPA and DOT but also includes state and local requirements unique to those jurisdictions. In many instances each agency requires training specific to its regulations. It can be a difficult and daunting task to keep up with the training required by each…
Five Free EHS Resources for Small Businesses
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) is a broad field that is constantly changing. It is often beneficial to have a few guides or resources that can be referenced to assist with program development and implementation. Small businesses often do not have a dedicated EHS resource but the following free resources can be of great value…
Sustainability Lessons from the National Parks
In my previous article I discussed sustainability and defined it as the ability to use the available natural resources in a manner that maintains harmony between humans and nature which enables the use of these resources for present and future generations. What better place to see the harmony between people and nature than a national…
Sustainability…what is it?
There is quite a bit of buzz about environmental sustainability however there does not appear to be an overall consensus about the definition of this term. I recently read anarticle in EHS Journal entitled “Demystifying Environmental Sustainability.” In this article Norman Wei argues that sustainability can be reduced to pollution prevention and waste minimization efforts;…