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IHMM Certifications Matter
Validate your knowledge and experience. It’s how professionals stay on top of their field
IHMM’s Certified Dangerous Goods Professional (CDGP®) credential is an unbiased verification that a company employs a global expert, as the CDGP recognizes expertise in dealing with the safe, secure, and compliant transportation of dangerous goods internationally under the model regulations published by the United Nations, International Maritime Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, and International Air Transport Association.
It’s how you differentiate yourself
IHMM Credential Recognition
Below you will see the credential badges that are now in each CHMM, CHMP, CDGT, CDGP, Student CHMM, CSHM, CSMP, and ASHM certificant’s MYIHMM account. Every IHMM certificant may use these badges, linked as those below are to their IHMM credential page, for their email signatures, business cards, and other social media applications. You’re justifiably proud of the accomplishment of having earned your credential and you can show the rest of the world. Simply right-click on the badge of choice, then save as to your computer, and then load it to wherever you want to use it, and please link that back to https://ihmm.org/.
IHMM Certificant Recognition
Throughout our certificant’s MYIHMM accounts are placed 10 Year, 20 Year, and 30 Year badges signifying their longevity as an IHMM certified professional.
With a link from your credential badge to the IHMM website [see above] you can not only stand out as an IHMM-certified professional, you can also promote IHMM credentials to others. Right-click on the badge of choice, save as to your computer, then load it to whatever medium you choose.
IHMM has Distinguished Diplomates and Fellows of the Institute badges to the appropriate people in the MYIHMM database. These two badges are accompanied by lapel pins sent to each of those distinguished by holding these designations.
IHMM is in all 50 of the United States and in 85 countries around the World.
IHMM In-Person or Remotely Proctored Exams
The American National Standards Institute [ANSI] has approved Kryterion Remotely Proctored Exams for IHMM’s CHMM, CHMP, and CDGP exams. IHMM has been using the Kryterion Remotely Proctored Exams for the CSHM and CSMP exams since April 2020.
76% of Kryterion in-person testing centers have reopened. If you prefer the comfort and convenience of taking your exam from your home or office instead of at a Kryterion center, IHMM is ready to enroll you in a remotely proctored examination.
Please contact either Kortney Tunstall at [email protected] for the CHMM, Student CHMM, CHMP, or CDGP exams or Kaylene Cagle at [email protected] for the Student ASHM, CSHM, or CSMP exams.
IHMM Credentials Accredited By
Need Help? On the IHMM website just click on the “NEED HELP?” button
and let us know what you need and the right person will get right back with you.
IHMM RECENT NEWS
A sustainable future in Iowa
Update: Congress passes bill to avert a rail strike
Clean Harbors releases results of third-party study on PFAS
Funding available for brownfields technical assistance, research
A Waste Windfall: New Process Shows Promise Turning Plastic Trash Into Pharmaceuticals
Magnetic Material Mops Up Microplastics in Water
National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants; Delegation of Authority to Washington
Availability of Federally-Enforceable State Implementation Plans for All States
Changes to Reporting Requirements for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and to Supplier Notifications for Chemicals of Special Concern; Community Right-to-Know Toxic Chemical Release Reporting
Significant New Use Rules on Certain Chemical Substances (22-1.5e)
EPA and State Partners Announce Major Improvement in Clean Water Act Permit Compliance
European Union Adopts Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive With Impacts Beyond Europe
EPA’s FY 2023 Top Management Challenges Include Providing for the Safe Use of Chemicals
ESG: Adherence to Internal Policy and Procedures
EPA Seeks Comment on Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis on Proposed PFAS Reporting Rule
North Carolina PFAS Lawsuit Adds To Increasing State Legal Action
TSCA Sticker Shock: EPA Proposes Large Fee Increases
European Chemicals Agency Weekly
OSHA to hold online meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health on Jan. 10, 2023
California COVID-19 ETS set to expire, ‘nonemergency’ rule in the works
NIOSH seeks input on respirator approval
BLS: Nonfatal injuries, illnesses declined in 2021
US Department of Labor seeks nominations for membership to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health
Roofing contractor continues to expose workers to potentially deadly fall hazards, US Department of Labor inspections in Appleton area find
Privacy Rights in a Remote Work World: Can My Employer Monitor My Activity?
Share Your Feedback on Worker Burnout
New Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations Present Work-Product Concerns
United States Construction Industry Report 2022: Market is Expected to Grow by 6.5% to Reach $1,338,125 Million in 2022 – Construction Industry Employment Increases Y-o-Y
On-demand Webinar: Fast-track Digital Collaboration with the Wider Air Cargo Community
Practical Tips for Your Business to Choose the Right 4GV Packaging
Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers: How to ensure safe operation
Pow promises ‘gold standards’ on chemicals regulation as fears over impact of UK-REACH delays grow
US nuclear waste repository begins filling new disposal area
Dangerous goods safety starts with competency-based training
How to Safely Handle Workplace Waste
Benefits of Online Safety Training
How Much Is Poor Mental Health Costing Your Company?
Majority of Companies to Increase Sustainability Investment Over Next Two Years
More construction jobs filled, fewer quits in October
5 Ways Automated Maintenance Can Improve Workplace Safety
Using data to keep your business ahead
2023 IHMM Certificant Survey
This is our 2023 IHMM certificant survey. Your feedback allows us to gather broad based information about the needs and preferences of our certificants that leads to improving our services and credentials.
Please take a few minutes and answer the 19 questions posed in this survey and help us improve our services.
Take the short survey here >> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IHMM2023
Evidence and decision making in occupational safety and health (OSH)
To help make working environments safer, it can help to use evidence to inform guidelines, regulations and decision making. Researchers investigated the availability and use of evidence in decision making and recommend several next steps.
What is the issue?
Occupational accidents and fatalities are prevalent globally, but the past decade has seen these rates plateau in many high-income counties. Enhancing workplace conditions and making workplaces safer is essential to decrease the number of fatalities, injuries and cases of occupational diseases. One way to make working environments safer is by using evidence to inform guidelines, regulations and decision making. However, it is currently unclear how OSH decisions are informed and what role evidence plays in the process.
Articles under TSCA
December 7, 2022
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EST)
When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) focused its attention on chemical substances and chemical mixtures, while largely exempting the regulation of chemicals in “articles,” generally meaning finished products or manufactured goods. EPA’s more recent announcement of its intent to regulate chemicals in articles to a much greater extent has caught many in the regulated industries off guard and reflects a significant shift in U.S. chemical regulation policy. This change in policy affects all commercial entities that deal with a physical product, as they must now become familiar with the law, its requirements, and the chemical makeup of their finished goods. This webinar will cover the policy changes that led to the regulation of articles, EPA’s authority to regulate these articles, and what companies need to know to stay in compliance.
Register now to join Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Eve Gartner, and Lynn L. Bergeson for the Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) webinar “Articles under TSCA.”
Creating the Water Workforce of the Future:
Webinar Series
Transforming the Water Workforce
December 15, 2022
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Register Here
In today’s world, water sector utilities need to work with many partners to recruit and retain a motivated and sustainable 21st century workforce—they can’t do it alone! Partners can include employment and training organizations, educational institutions, contractors, and others. There is also a pressing need to help current utility leaders develop the transformative skills they will need to lead the water workforce in the 21st century. Please join us on December 15, 2022, to hear from two leading utility workforce leaders from DC Water and AWWA as they take steps to develop a truly sustainable workforce for their utility and also help leaders across the sector develop the skills to address the myriad of challenges they will face moving forward.
This webinar is part of an ongoing webinar series hosted by EPA, in partnership with leading water sector organizations around the country. More information on this webinar series can be found at
https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/water-sector-workforce-webinars
In 2019 Mark Bruce from AHMP and Gene Guilford from IHMM worked on a project to get the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to recognize the CHMM and CDGT credentials. With Mark’s work on the ground in Pennsylvania, we succeeded.
- We have already succeeded in 13 states – New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arkansas, Oklahoma. Ohio, North Dakota, and Georgia. [Red states in the map above]. These are states where IHMM credentials are cited or 40 CFR 312.10 is cited by reference.
- We have partially succeeded in another 16 states – Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. [Orange/Black Stripe states in the map above] These are states where the requirements of an “environmental professional” or QEP are cited that coincide with an IHMM credential so that relatively little work would need to be done to clarify the desired outcome.
- We have 21 states where no reference to an IHMM credential is made in either statute or regulation, nor is there anything defined in the area of an environmental professional. These states will require legislation or regulatory work. [Yellow states in the map above].
In January 2021 Mark at AHMP and Gene at IHMM has launched 45 in 5, getting the other 45 states to recognize our credentials in 5 years. If we can find a volunteer like Mark in other states [see above] we can work with those volunteers on crafting the right message to the right agencies in state governments across the country. If we find enough volunteers we can get this done in less than 5 years.
In January 2022 Gene Guilford released the 40 CFR § 312.10 EPA regulation that states a private certification that meets or exceeds the requirements of the regulation is an Environmental Professional under the regulation. Here is the crosswalk between the 40 CFR § 312.10 EPA regulation and the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM] blueprint. The CHMM meets or exceeds the requirements of an Environmental Professional.
Here’s what we ask each volunteer to do:
- Watch legislative and regulatory developments in your state that provide an opportunity for us to create amendments or other interventions
- Be willing to speak with regulators and legislators in your area about the recognition efforts we craft together
PHMSA Notice of Enforcement Policy for International Standards
The enforcement policy regarding international standards notifies offerors and carriers of hazardous materials that PHMSA will not take enforcement action against any offeror or carrier using these standards for the domestic or international transportation of packages by any mode as it continues to consider adopting updated editions of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions) and the International Maritime Organization International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) into the Hazardous Materials Regulations. PHMSA and its modal partners will temporarily exercise enforcement discretion against offerors or carriers of hazardous materials packages that are marked, labeled, or transported in accordance with the internationally adopted 2023-2024 Edition of the ICAO Technical Instructions or the Amendment 41-22 of the IMDG Code until otherwise stated. PHMSA will also not take enforcement action against shippers or carriers transporting polymerizing substances in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations that are in effect on December 31, 2022, while it considers future regulatory amendments.
See PHMSA’s Enforcement Policy for International Standards for full details regarding the enforcement discretion, including those related to transporting polymerizing substances and the use of FRP portable tanks.
CEQ Releases ‘Version 1.0’ Of Controversial Justice40 Mapping Tool
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has released the first formal version of its Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), which increases by nearly 4,000 from a beta version the number of communities eligible for funding under the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative.
The Nov. 22 release of CEJST “Version 1.0” means that federal agencies may now use it to identify disadvantaged communities eligible for Justice40 dollars, including under the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act.
Justice40 aims to ensure overburdened and underserved areas reap at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal infrastructure investments, including remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, the development of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and resources to fund clean energy and climate change strategies.
The new version of CEJST replaces the beta version released last spring, which drew harsh criticism from screening tool experts and environmental justice (EJ) advocates over its omission of race as a metric.
CEQ calls version 1.0 an “essential step in implementing” Justice 40. Updates include information about communities facing climate risks, transportation inequities, historic redlining, legacy pollution and additional barriers, the White House says. It also incorporates new datasets, an updated methodology, improvements to the site and more, based on feedback from federal agencies, tribes, state and local government, the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), EJ advocates and the public.
–Inside EPA
Western States Seek Regional Wetlands Test In Next WOTUS Rulemaking
A bipartisan coalition of Western states is floating a regionalized model for identifying wetlands potentially subject to the Clean Water Act (CWA) as the Biden administration crafts a new definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the law, urging regulators to adopt a flexible approach and to conduct “meaningful consultation” with states.
The Western States Water Council (WSWC) met with EPA, Army Corps of Engineers and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials Nov. 8 on their interagency review of the forthcoming WOTUS rule, and presented a white paper outlining what the state group says would be scientific and practical benefits of a regional approach — though it stops short of making explicit policy recommendations.
“Regions used for WOTUS implementation need to capture the most important attributes and differences across regions while ensuring that the regional scheme can be practically implemented by both federal regulatory agencies and states,” reads the white paper, titled “Applicability of regional classification schemes and analytical tools to regional definitions of [WOTUS].”
It memorializes and expands on discussions at a workshop series on WOTUS convened by WSWC in the summer of 2022, including representatives from 16 states and “several federal agencies,” shortly before EPA and the Corps sent their final rule establishing an interim WOTUS definition to OMB for review in September.
–Inside EPA
DOD Vows To ‘Take The Heat’ Over Slow PFAS Cleanups But Eyes Advances
A top Defense Department (DOD) official is reiterating that technological capabilities will limit the pace of DOD’s cleanup of its PFAS-contaminated sites, noting he will “take the heat” from Congress and others over the fact remediation could take decades, even as he expresses some hope DOD research programs will help speed that timeline.
Richard Kidd, DOD’s deputy assistant secretary for environment and energy resilience, told a Nov. 29 DOD research and development (R&D) forum that he has testified to Congress that the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination problem will “take years to define and decades to clean up,” as the pace of cleanup is bounded by chemistry, physics and technology. But, he said, many members of Congress and advocacy groups have countered that assessment, saying “’that’s wrong, we just need to set a date, we just need to be done’” and pass statutes to ensure cleanup is done in three to ten years.
“So, I certainly would like to be done in a three-year time period, or a five-year time period, but it’s just not physically possible,” he said.
But he pointed to progress DOD’s R&D programs are making on PFAS — noting, for instance, work that tripled the amount of PFAS that DOD can detect, going from 20 to 60 substances, and voiced hope for narrowing the timelines for addressing PFAS through that work.
–InsideEPA
EPA Poised To Issue Final Rule Codifying Interim WOTUS Definition
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are poised to finalize a new, interim definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) after the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed interagency review of the rule on Nov. 30, setting the stage for a new phase in the decades-long clash over the scope of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
As proposed, the agencies’ joint rule would reestablish a WOTUS standard in line with the collection of Corps and EPA policies known as the “1986 regulations” — named for the last major regulatory update to CWA jurisdiction in that era — with amendments to account for more recent Supreme Court decisions.
While that standard is already in effect across the country, its application remains uncertain due to two prior attempts at overhauling the scope of CWA jurisdiction, during the Obama and Trump administrations. Various federal courts held both of those rules unlawful, creating ongoing uncertainty over which WOTUS tests state and federal regulators could use, with additional legal challenges to both rules currently stayed pending the finalization of a new WOTUS definition.
The agencies hope imposing the 1986 regulations through a stand-alone rulemaking will cut through that confusion and avoid any unforeseen consequences from continuing litigation over the prior administrations’ WOTUS rules and their repeals.
–Inside EPA
With Science Debate Closed, Ozone Review Enters Contentious Policy Phase
EPA’s advisers recently approved a Trump-era science assessment as adequate to support the agency’s reconsideration of federal ozone standards, but a more contentious debate awaits as the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) mulls EPA’s draft policy document that again recommends retaining existing limits.
In the next phase of the reconsideration, EPA will seek the input of CASAC’s special ozone panel on its draft policy assessment (PA) document, which in its current form again recommends retaining current national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone.
But this conclusion is likely to be contested by several panelists, if discussions at CASAC over EPA’s ozone science analysis are any indicator.
Physician Mark Frampton, a member of both the seven-member chartered CASAC and the special ozone panel, in earlier draft comments noted that “CASAC was asked by the EPA to review the PA as part of the reconsideration; this raised scientific issues that were dependent on findings and interpretations in the ISA, which this CASAC had not formally reviewed.”
–-Inside EPA
IHMM Scholarship Program
The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management is pleased to have created $32,000 in academic scholarships, divided equally between $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student CHMMs, and $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student ASHMs.
IHMM seeks to foster the growth and academic success of students whose courses of education, and participation in one of our Student certifications, will lead to those students becoming fully-certified IHMM credential holders later in their professional lives.
Go to > https://ihmm.org/scholarship/
IHMM CHMMⓇ 2022 Salary Survey
IHMM is pleased to release its 2022 salary survey for Certified Hazardous Materials ManagersⓇ [CHMMⓇ] across a broad range of position titles in the CHMMⓇ community of practice.
You may download the CHMM survey here.
IHMM CSHMⓇ 2022 Salary Survey
IHMM is pleased to release its 2022 salary survey for Certified Safety and Health Managers Ⓡ [CSHMⓇ] across a broad range of position titles in the CSHMⓇ community of practice.
You may download the CSHM survey here.
Sponsored content
IHMM – 26 Fellows Are Mentors
IHMM Fellows Committee Chair Atanu Das, CHMM, is leading the effort within the IHMM Collaboration networking platform to provide instruction to the more than 75 IHMM Fellows in becoming mentors.
Given the extraordinary experience Fellows have, this is a unique opportunity for IHMM Fellows to help guide more recent certificants in their professional development activities.
IHMM’s Collaboration platform contains a “Mentor Match” module [see below at right] that allows mentors to signup designating the hours, number of mentees, subject areas, and length of time they wish to mentor – as well as allowing mentees to signup requesting assistance in specified areas. The mentor match module does the rest by matching mentors and mentees.
#1 – Recertification Video
#2 Recertification Video
IHMM Recertification Videos
IHMM is pleased to release two YouTube instructional videos about navigating the IHMM recertification process. These step-by-step videos easily enable IHMM certificants to start and complete a recertification application.
While the full recertification cycle is 5 years, IHMM encourages all certificants to start a recertification application and add certification maintenance points as they are earned to make the final submission quick and easy to accomplish.
FREE US DOT PHMSA HMIT GRANT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS AWARENESS TRAINING WORKSHOP – 24 IHMM CMPs
Courses are here> https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/?tribe_paged=1&tribe_event_display=list&tribe-bar-date=2022-01-24&tribe-bar-search=NPETE
These workshops are offered with U.S. DOT PHMSA HMIT (Hazardous Materials Instructor Training) Grant support to the National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (National PETE).
This training is FREE for employees and federal, state, county, and local government employees involved in DOT HazMat Shipping, Receiving and Handling via Ground, Air, and Vessel Transportation.
The workshop curriculum is in accordance with 49 CFR § 172.704 for General Awareness, Function-Specific, Safety, and Security Awareness training requirements.
Class size is limited to 10-15 students with mask/social distancing protocols, so act fast. Minimum of 6 attendees is needed to confirm the class.
Registration: Contact Mr. Raymond Davis, CHMM, IHMM Fellow, NPETE US DOT PHMSA HMIT Grant Project Coordinator/Instructor at [email protected]
Please provide Mr. Davis with the following registration information via email to [email protected]
Your name, Your company, Your company address/city/state/zip, Phone number, and Email
Upon receipt of your registration information, the address of the training location will be provided.
Retiring? IHMM Invites You to Become an Emeritus
You may have decided, after a long and successful career, to retire from active daily duty. Congratulations. That doesn’t mean you have to completely disengage from your profession. IHMM is pleased to offer Emeritus status to all certificants who will no longer be actively engaged in their communities of practice but who still want to stay in touch. Please let us know when you’re approaching that decision and we will assist you in the credential transition.
Please contact Margaret Toscano at [email protected] and she’ll be happy to help you.
National Safety Council
IHMM is a member of the National Safety Council and is pleased to bring this important information to all of our certificants.
American Society of Safety Professionals
IHMM is a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals and is pleased to bring this important information to all of our certificants.
ASSP News
Vector Solutions – The Basics of OSHA Recordkeeping
Make Time for Gratitude
ASSP Helps Safety and Health Professionals Get Recognized
A Safety Professional’s Journey
The Conceptual Toolbox: 6 Ideas For Addressing Workplace Safety Issues
ASSP Webinars
February 13, 2023 – SafetyFOCUS 2023 Virtual
March 3, 2023 – ONLINE COURSE: Enterprise Risk Management for Safety Professionals
IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Sponsored Content
Beltway Buzz – Ogletree & Deakins
Congress and POTUS Act to Avert National Freight Rail Shutdown. The national freight rail dispute that the Buzz had been tracking for months has come to the end of the line. Several holdout labor unions had refused to ratify the tentative agreement brokered between rail companies and workers in September 2022, raising the possibility that a national freight rail strike would occur when the mandated cooling-off period expired on December 9, 2022. To avert a freight rail shutdown that could have cost the U.S. economy an estimated $2 billion per day, Congress and the president of the United States (POTUS) intervened this week to implement a binding labor agreement pursuant to authority conferred by the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause and the Railway Labor Act of 1926. On November 30, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 100), implementing the parties’ tentative deal:
[T]he most recent tentative agreements, side letters, and local carrier agreements entered into by the covered parties that have not been ratified before the date of enactment of this joint resolution (including tentative agreements, side letters, and local carrier agreements that have failed ratification) shall be binding on such covered parties to such unresolved disputes, and shall have the same effect as though arrived at by agreement of such covered parties under the Railway Labor Act.
The resolution passed by a vote of 290–137, with 79 Republicans joining 211 Democrats in voting in favor of the resolution. On December 1, 2022, the U.S. Senate approved H.J. Res. 100 by a vote of 80–15. And on December 2, 2022, President Biden signed H.J. Res. 100 into law, codifying an agreement that includes a 24 percent wage increase over five years, a $5,000 bonus, increased schedule flexibility, and one additional paid day off.
Additionally, because paid sick time had been a sticking point between the parties, the House passed another resolution (H. Con. Res. 119) that would have added seven days of paid sick leave to the contract. However, that resolution failed in the Senate by a vote of 52–43, with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) being the only Democrat to vote no.
117th Congress Wrapping Up. Preventing a national rail shutdown was just one of several items on Congress’s to-do list during the current lame-duck session of the 117th Congress, as federal lawmakers scramble to wrap up legislative business ahead of the pending change in political power in the House in January 2023. Here are a few bills the Buzz is monitoring:
- Government and military funding. Funding for the federal government expires on December 16, 2022, and Congress has yet to pass its annual military funding authorization legislation (which it has passed for sixty-one straight years). The phrase “must-pass legislation” is used quite often in Washington, D.C., but these two bills truly fit that description. Passing these bills will be Congress’s top priority during this period.
- Pregnancy accommodation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has been sitting on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065) since April 2021. The bill enjoyed significant bipartisan support when it passed the House (ninety-nine Republicans voted in favor of the bill), is supported by the business community, and would very likely attract at least ten Republican votes in the Senate. If the Senate doesn’t act in the next several weeks, the bill will die and not be acted on in the 118th Congress.
- Marriage protections. On November 29, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) by a vote of 61–36. The bill enacts protections for same-sex and interracial marriages into federal law, essentially codifying the Supreme Court of the United States’ 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The bill is different from what passed the House in July 2022, so the House will have to pass this new version—likely sometime next week.
- Eliminating country caps. Back in June 2022, the Buzz predicted that the Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act of 2021—which would, in part, phase out the per-country cap for employment-based visas—might be addressed during the lame-duck session. While it is possible that the House may vote on the bill, it is unlikely to make it to the Senate floor.
NLRB News. Two recent newsworthy items coming out of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are the following:
- NLRB funding plea. Board Chair Lauren McFerran and General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo recently sent a letter to top congressional appropriators, warning them, “The Agency’s current funding level is impairing our ability to maintain staff capacity, both in headquarters and across 48 field offices …. [W]e will be forced to reduce our operational capacity, including likely furloughs of the dedicated career employees at the agency, unless Congress provides funding to cover these costs.” The Board has been funded at approximately $274 million since fiscal year (FY) 2014 and is requesting $319.4 million for FY 2023. With Republicans in control of the House and Democrats in control of the Senate, the appropriations debate is not going to get any easier.
- “Free Choice” proposal comment extension. The Board announced this week that it would extend the public comment deadline for its so-called “Fair Choice and Employee Voice” proposed rule. The original deadline was set for January 3, 2023, but interested stakeholders will now have until February 2, 2023, to submit comments. The proposed rule would rescind the Board’s April 2020 “Election Protection Rule” relating to “blocking charges,” employer voluntary recognition, and Section 9(a) recognition in the construction industry.
OFCCP Seeks More Info From Contractors. On November 21, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a notice, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, of proposed changes to its Supply and Service Scheduling Letter and Itemized Listing (Scheduling Letter). The changes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Contractors with a “campus-like setting” must submit information “for all AAPs [affirmative action programs] developed for campuses, schools, programs, buildings, departments, or other parts of [the] institution, or company” located in a particular city or state.
- A contractor will be required to “provide a list identifying all action-oriented programs designed to correct any problem areas identified” in its affirmative action program. This information is not currently at the preliminary stage, but according to OFCCP, “[a]dding this item to the letter will allow OFCCP to more thoroughly review contractors’ compliance in this important area, as well as enable OFCCP to understand the action-oriented programs that a contractor is undertaking as part of its AAPs at the beginning of a compliance review.”
- Contractors will be required to submit “[d]ocumentation of policies and practices regarding all employment recruiting, screening, and hiring mechanisms, including the use of artificial intelligence, algorithms, automated systems or other technology-based selection procedures.”
- Contractors will be required to provide more disclosure about their promotion and termination activities.
- A contractor will be required to submit both a current compensation snapshot, as well as a compensation snapshot from the previous year. According to OFCCP, “This change will benefit employees who may have been subject to pay discrimination that OFCCP is able to remedy and will provide OFCCP with more information to determine which cases are worth pursuing for further investigation.”
Comments are due by January 20, 2023.
POTUS Labor and Employment Nominees Advance. This week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved the nominations of Jessica Looman to serve as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour administrator and Karla Gilbride to serve as general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If they are not confirmed by the end of the current Congress, the candidates will have to be renominated in the 118th Congress, absent an agreement in the Senate.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SOCIETY
IHMM and HMS
The graphic to the left illustrates the relationship between IHMM and HMS. IHMM formed HMS to serve IHMM’s certificants. IHMM offers a variety of professional credentials and HMS creates education and training programs to serve the applicants and certificants of those credentials.
VOTE!
2022 Hazardous Materials Society Board Election – Voting Resumed
The HMS began voting for its 2022 slate of directors on November 9th and halted it when there was a problem with the ballot. As soon as the problem is rectified, the voting started again and will continue until December 16th. HMS is IHMM’s Foundation, providing education, training, networking, affinity programs and other support exclusively for IHMM certificants.
There are four [4] candidates presented below. Read about each of the four. Every eligible IHMM certificant may vote in the election and has already received, by email, a unique voting key and link to cast their votes for up to three [3] of the four [4] candidates presented.
Abela, Simon, ASHM – Read more about Simon Abela here.
Bartku, Christopher, CHMM – Read more about Christopher Bartku here
Bennett, Stephen M., CSMP. Read more about Stephen here.
Ross, Steven, CHMM – Read more about Steven Ross here
CHEMTREC, HMS Training Partner, Adds Courses for IHMM Certificants
CHMETREC, an HMS training partner, has had 6 courses approved in advance for earning IHMM recertification certification maintenance points. We are pleased to promote these programs as reviewed and approved by the HMS Education and Training Committee, chaired by Diana Lundelius. Thank you CHEMTREC, and thank to HMS’ Education and Training Committee.
Easily Find Courses to Help You Pass IHMM Credential Exams
This week we add the Federation of Environmental Technologists [FET] EHMM course to the CHMM examination preparation schedule. FET is the CHMM chapter in Wisconsin and IHMM is proud to support them and help to promote their EHMM offering to IHMM’s CHMM applicants.
CDGP® Prep Course
CE-1112: CDGP® Exam Prep – Columbia Southern University – Available On Demand
CHMM® Prep Courses
Daily – CHMM® Online Review – Bowen
Daily – CHMM® Prep Course – Institute of Safety & Systems Management
Daily –Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM®) Exam Prep – SPAN Exam Prep, Division of ClickSafety
Nov 21-Feb 27, 2033 – Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management [EHMM] Virtual Course – FET
Nov 30-Dec 1, 2022 – CHMM® Prep Course – PTP Consulting
CSHM® Prep Courses
IHMM and HMS Tie Exam Preparation Together for Applicants
Every IHMM certification that requires an examination has a section of its website entitled Examination Preparation.
Connected to the Examination Preparation panel is a companion panel that is Find a Course to Prepare for the Exam.
You see the Find a Course to Prepare for the Exam panel from the CHMM site at left.
When you click on the Find a Course to Prepare for the Exam panel it takes the applicant directly to the HMS site where all CHMM prep courses may be found and chosen.
For the 397 CHMM applicants IHMM had on August 31, 2022, all 397 looking for CHMM prep courses could see and chose their favored CHMM exam prep course. If your course is not on the HMS platform, none of the 397 CHMM applicants could find you.
If you want your CHMM prep course on the HMS platform so it can be found by IHMM CHMM applicants, contact Gene Guilford at [email protected]
HMS Makes Finding Courses to Earn CMPs Easy
Every year more than 1,600 IHMM certificants have to recertify their credentials, evidenced their continuing commitment to improvement and learning to elevate their professional credential.
Earning Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs] is illustrated under Recertification of Your Credential, that includes the Recertification Claims Manual – Appendix A, that details all of the ways a certificant may earn CMPs > https://ihmm.org/recertification-claims/
Having mastered that manual, how does an IHMM certificant find courses to earn CMPs?
HMS has made that simple and easy.
- Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
- Scroll down until you see a row of buttons…click on the CMPs button
The system will then generate all of the courses on the HMS E&T platform with IHMM CMPs already attached.
The next developments by the HMS E&T committee will refine available courses’ CMPs by individual credential!
HMS Certified Dangerous Goods Professional [CDGP] Exam Prep
The Columbia Southern University/HMS CDGP prep course is found here on the Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] education and training website > https://hazmatsociety.org/training/ce-1112-cdgp-exam-prep/2022-02-02/
The CSU CDGP exam prep course is delivered entirely online and may be initiated by any CDGP applicant at any time. The CDGP applicant has up to 10 weeks to complete the prep course, though an extension of the 10 weeks may be requested from CSU directly. The CSU CDGP exam prep course contains 8 modules covering the 4 principle texts involved in the CDGP exam, as follows:
- UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, and
- International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions (ICAO TI), and
- International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR), and the
- International Maritime Organization’s Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code).
More information on the IHMM Certified Dangerous Goods Professional [CDGP] credential may be found here > https://ihmm.org/cdgp/
Applications for the 2022 HMS Scholarship Awards Now Open
The HMS scholarship award is given annually to undergraduate and graduate students whose academic program and research studies have the potential to address the most serious issues in handling hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environmental issues, health & safety challenges. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled in accredited U.S. academic institutions.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD APPLICATIONS IS December 1, 2022. All submissions and associated materials must be submitted using the online form.
Scholarship Winners Will Be Announced at the HMS Annual Meeting.
For More Information, Visit > https://hazmatsociety.org/scholarship/
Donate to HMS
One of the most important projects of the Hazardous Materials Society is our Scholarship Program.
HMS wants to make it as easy as possible for those who cannot always afford to participate in pursuing certification, or keeping up with professional development, or attending great conferences and receiving outstanding training. HMS does not solicit contributions from the general public. HMS does ask IHMM’s certificants and their companies and our education and training vendors to consider a contribution.
Here, through your generosity, you can make a difference in promoting the ability of those who can afford it least to become participants in our communities of practice.
It’s never too late to make a difference, so don’t let this opportunity to make a difference pass you by. Please consider a tax-deductible donation of $250, $500 or what you can to help build HMS’s effort to help others in our communities of practice.
RCM&D Professional Liability Insurance
HMS is proud to have partnered with RCM&D to be able to offer an outstanding comprehensive professional liability insurance program to IHMM certificants. Here, you will find information about this important program offering Environmental Consultants and Engineers Professional Liability coverage. This coverage is intended to add protection for loss stemming from actual or alleged negligent acts, errors and omissions in performing professional services.
For more information see > https://hazmatsociety.org/professional-liability-insurance/
Member Benefits of Hazardous Materials Society
99% of IHMM certificants are aware of the Hazardous Materials Society, which we appreciate. IHMM established the Hazardous Materials Society in order to support and provide services to IHMM certificants.
Did You Know?
Your company’s membership dues for Associate Membership in the Hazardous Materials Society (HMS) are 100% tax-deductible and your participation directly supports scholarship and education/training opportunities for professionals working in hazmat and EHS. Joining as an Associate Member expresses your commitment and your company’s leadership in giving back to our professional community. Join today to claim your tax deduction for the 2020 tax year while expressing your company’s professional affiliation and accessing tools for your marketing and business development plans.
As an IHMM certificant, you pay no dues to take advantage of IHMM’s Foundation at HMS. We do appreciate IHMM’s certificants encouraging their companies to contribute.
To learn more about what HMS is doing now and what they are planning for the future, please see the new Member Benefits page here.
A Collaborative Culture
There are 820 different conversations going on in the IHMM/HMS Collaboration platform this week.
A collaborative culture is important for every business but is especially important for our hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environment, health, and safety communities of practice. Do you have a problem you need to solve and want the opinions of your colleagues? This is where we come together to help each other.
IHMM credentialed professionals are at the top 1% of their professions and their reach is global. We are at the forefront of environmental protection, health, and safety and this is where collaborating with the best people in their fields, always willing to help one another, lessens the stress of our jobs, and where we strive as a team to make a difference of which we are proud.
We opened COLLABORATION to enable thousands of certificants and supporters to collaborate together. You can collaborate here.
Access to COLLABORATION is through the same username/password you use to access your MYIHMM account. Having a problem? Contact Jimmy Nguyen at [email protected]
Columbia Southern University
The Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] is a partner of Columbia Southern University. Columbia Southern University is an online university based in Orange Beach, Alabama, that strives to change and improve lives through higher education by enabling students to maximize their professional and personal potential.
A subsidiary of Columbia Southern Education Group, CSU offers online degree programs at the associate, bachelor, master, doctorate or certificate levels in a multitude of areas such as occupational safety and health, fire administration, criminal justice, business administration, human resource management, health care administration and more. CSU also features undergraduate and graduate certificate programs to provide focused training in specialized areas for adult learners.
Click on the CSU graphic at left and learn more about the professional development and degree program opportunities at CSU.
IHMM CONFERENCES FOR 2023
IHMM will attend and support a number of conferences and trade shows throughout 2023, virtually as well as in-person as resources allow. Below are some of the conferences IHMM will support in 2023.
Are there conferences you believe IHMM should attend that do not appear here? If so, let us know by sending an email to [email protected]
ASSP Greater San Jose and San Francisco Chapters Safety Symposium
San Ramon Marriott – Thank you Bart Miller for leading this effort
March 9, 2023
ASSP Safety Conference and Exposition
San Antonio, TX
June 5-7, 2023
National Safety Council Congress & Expo
New Orleans, LA
October 23-25, 2023
IHMM has a companion organization for which education and training programs are presented and delivered. The Hazardous Materials Society is IHMM’s Professional Association and HMS’ education and training website can be found here. These events are produced independently of IHMM, and their providers have no access to IHMM certification examinations or program information other than that which is publicly available.
IHMM AFFILIATIONS
9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470
Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 | Fax: 301-984-1516