The Most Important Compliance Best Practices You Need to Know

Serendipity has often provided unanticipated insights into chemistry and toxicology, among other fields.

Developing a new defense strategy [FAEDER, BRUYA, & CLARKE, 2011] for a Proposition 65 [OEHHA, 2012A] case in California, the authors undertook a variety of QA/QC procedures to be assured that their test results regarding exposure to DEHP [TOXNET, 2012A] from the consumer product at issue had precision and validity. One such procedure was to ascertain if the test subjects had measurable DEHP on their hands prior to the test in which they handled the product at issue.
 

Cal/Osha issued 36 citations to American Reclamation Inc, a Los Angeles-based solid waste company, its recycling subsidiary, South Coast Fibers Inc, and their staffing company, Steno Employment Services Inc. The citations led to a penalty of USD 38,895. The citations were a consequence of complaints lodged by workers on the prevailing unsafe working conditions.

Power plants, through their coal-powered plants and refineries, account for most (40%) of the carbon dioxide emissions in the US. Coal-based power plants burn coal in order to generate electricity. Refineries use crude petroleum to extract gasoline, kerosene and oth-er oil products.This article discusses how the EPA's new greenhouse gas rule affects new power plants.

Employees and workers spend a good part of their time at workplaces. Hence it is important that the environment in which they work is hygienic –- therein arises the relevance of Indoor Air Quality or IAQ. OSHA has specific requirements for indoor air quality and these have to be followed to ensure worker health and safety.

Since workers in the chemical sector handle harmful chemicals they are exposed to health risks. There are certain standards and procedures in place to educate these workers about the safest ways to handle these containers. Currently, for chemical manufacturers and importers in the US, OSHA has put in place a Hazard Communication Standard (HCS).

OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) New National Emphasis Program (NEP) empowers OSHA inspectors to cover chemical facilities around the country. It ensures that all the necessary steps are taken to protect workers. It replaces OSHA's 2009 pilot Chemical Facility National Emphasis Program which covered several OSHA regions around the country.

This article details the best practices chemical facilities can follow in order to comply with the requirements of NEP.

In 2011, owing to EPA’s enforcement action, USD 19 million was invested to improve environmental performance out of which USD 3 billion was used to clean up hazardous waste in communities and ensure that the polluter pays. 3.6 bn pounds of hazardous waste was treated, minimized or properly disposed of, 1.8 billion pounds of pollution was reduced, treated or eliminated. The EPA action also led to 89.5 years of incarceration for environmental criminals.

The US EPA’s Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule is a comprehensive national system for reporting GHG emissions. The aim of the rule is to collect accurate and timely GHG data to inform future policy decisions. The rule is generally referred to as 40 CFR Part 98 (Part 98)

Annual reports to USEPA are required to be submitted electronically by suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial GHGs, manufacturers or vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHGs.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are a collection of principles applied to on-farm production and post-production processes, leading to safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, taking into account economical, social and environmental sustainability.

A recent clipping in an English Daily says,“The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased more quickly than expected and higher temperatures are triggering self-reinforcing feedback mechanisms in global ecosystems.” If the nature had a Dow, with global warming increasing its pace, it would be on an all time low.

“We are looking now at a future climate that’s beyond anything we’ve considered seriously in climate model simulations,” says Christopher Field, director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University, in the same article1. If the current financial crisis is serious, the future is horrendous. The world’s best scientists have been warning — that climate change is happening faster and will bring bigger changes quicker than anticipated. Ironically market and the nature hitting the wall at once, is a sign that we need to find better ways to be more sustainable.

A recent clipping in an English Daily says,“The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased more quickly than expected and higher temperatures are triggering self-reinforcing feedback mechanisms in global ecosystems.” If the nature had a Dow, with global warming increasing its pace, it would be on an all time low. Read on >>