Category: May 2022 Newsletter

The EPA has proposed entering into a consent decree agreeing to rule on the Center for Biological Diversity’s (CBD) petition to classify discarded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The CBD asserts that many products ranging from building materials to food packaging…

NASP and Fit For Work (FFW) invite you to join us for a special, educational event taking place in Orlando on June 15th and 16th. Co-instructed by NASP Executive Director Eric Gislason and Fit For Work VP of Technical Operations James Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE, LSSMBB, the Workplace Ergonomics Specialist Live…

A federal workplace safety investigation has determined that two companies failed to follow required safety standards that could have prevented a bridge collapse and spared the life of a 33-year-old worker on a demolition project in Georgia. OSHA investigators cited the project’s prime contractor – for not ensuring a competent…

A Florida business owner was sentenced to federal prison for workers’ compensation fraud involving wire-fraud conspiracy. George Garcia, the owner of a Tampa-based construction company, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $126,200 acquired through the wire-fraud conspiracy. Garcia’s company supplied construction services and labor for…

OSHA initiated six inspections in southern New Jersey at five of the construction contractors’ work sites in 2021 in October and December, and in 2022 in January and March as part of the agency’s local emphasis program for fall hazards. In every inspection, OSHA found the company did not provide…

Inflation is on the rise, and so are air, water, and waste fine amounts that the EPA can assess. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act of 2015 made inflationary adjustments for environmental penalties the new reality for environmental compliance professionals. The EPA can now tack on a few…

The EPA says it’s making environmental criminal enforcement a priority, but the progress on the ground suggests the train is stalled. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found that the EPA is short on investigators despite a major jump in funding. “Biden’s EPA is not going to reinvigorate criminal enforcement,…

Are the fires and accidents at a dozen-plus food processing plants this year just an unfortunate coincidence – or potentially the result of terrorism? Consider that over the last few weeks, five major food distributors in four states were destroyed by explosions and fires. Accidents at more than 20 food…

OSHA investigators found that a construction company’s failure to prevent the sudden start-up of a conveyor system contributed to an 18-year-old worker’s fatal injuries after he was pulled into a hot asphalt silo as he tried to remove debris from the conveyor in Oklahoma City. An inspection at TJ Campbell…