EHS Professional March 18, 2021

IHMM Credential Recognition

Below you will see the 3 EHS credential badges that are now in each 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.

IHMM UPDATES

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.

Tax Day for individuals extended to May 17: Treasury, IRS extend filing and payment deadline

IR-2021-59, March 17, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced today that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.

“This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds. Filing electronically with direct deposit is the quickest way to get refunds, and it can help some taxpayers more quickly receive any remaining stimulus payments they may be entitled to.”

Read more > https://ihmm.org/tax-day-for-individuals-extended-to-may-17-treasury-irs-extend-filing-and-payment-deadline/

OSHA PACIFIC COAST SAFETY FEST – MARCH 22-25, 2021`

Virtual Event Registration

The Pacific Coast Safety Fest (PCSF) is a live virtual event targeted to provide training and resources to anyone working or living in Region 9 (Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, Pacific Territories and American Samoa).

PURPOSE: Pacific Coast Safety Fest is a safety and health training event that offers training classes related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. The purpose of this training is to raise awareness concerning pertinent safety and health hazards and best work practices in the area where the training is being offered. The expected outcome of all OSHA training is related to the mission of OSHA that all workers return home safe each day.

HISTORY: Safety Fest originated in Denver CO, in 2005 when the OSHA Regional office collaborated with several professional construction associations, an insurance company and the Colorado State University OSHA consultation project, to address fall protection issues in the construction industry. The idea was to hold a low-cost event where all employees and employers could receive pertinent information concerning how to protect themselves and their employees from falls. The event was named Safety Fest of the West. This event has since evolved and continues in the Denver area today. Safety Fest has spread to different parts of the country and has various names such as The Pacific Coast Safety Fest and Safety Fest of the Great Northwest.

Read More>> http://pacificsafetyfest.com/

CSHM – CSMP New Blueprint Developments

IHMM has exciting news about the developments in the CSHM and CSMP credentials.  Thanks to the hard work of the CSHM Scheme Committee, chaired by Steven Guillory https://ihmm.org/cshm-scheme-committee/ and the CSMP Scheme Committee, chaired by Kirk Rains, in about a month each of these credentials will have established their new, updated blueprints.

As these IHMM committees work to finish their new blueprints we will be on our path to creating new examinations, new item banks, and the associated elements that we need to position both credentials for application for accreditation by the American National Standards Institute [ANSI/ANAB].

IHMM thanks Steven and Kirk for shepherding their volunteers and working with Patricia on what is a long, though the valuable process to establishing a higher standard of excellence for these credentials.

ISO 45001 The First Global OSH Workplace Standard

ISO 45001 is a global standard for occupational safety and health management systems that provides practical solutions for worker safety. It can help create a global foundation of worker safety standards and inspections that can be used by all global supply chains, for all industries, and cover contractors and subcontractors in every country that supply products into these supply chains.

IHMM and Tom Slavin were proud to have worked with others worldwide in the development of this standard. Now, HMS Education and Training is developing modules of training around this standard. The CSHM and CSMP revisions will also include the 45001 standard in their new blueprints.

IHMM is where certificants not only find the latest in standards of performance, IHMM and HMS is where certificants will find the education and training backing the credentials.

 National Safety Council
IHMM is a member of the National Safety Council and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants.

• Save the date: NSC 2021 Safety Congress & Expo + Impact Tracks
• Kent McElhattan ‘deeply humbled’ to receive NSC Flame of Life Award
• 2021 is the Year of the Safety Hero, NSC president says
• Virtual NSC Safety Congress & Expo: What did you miss?

NSC Webinars

• March 19 – The Superheroes of Safety Training Answer Your Questions
• March 23 – NSC Employee Perception Surveys: Safety Surveys Done Right!
• March 30 – Immersive Technology & the Future of Work

US Department of Labor orders one of the nation’s largest railway companies to pay more than $290K in damages, reinstate whistleblower

FORT WORTH, TX – An employee of one of the nation’s largest North American freight railroad networks will receive more than $290,000 in back pay, damages and fees, and be reinstated to their job after the U.S. Department of Labor found the worker’s rights were violated under the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

BNSF Railway Co. accused the employee of violating a doctor’s restrictions against physical activity following a work-related injury. When the employee provided documents during a subsequent hearing to prove that his doctor allowed physical activity, the company ignored the documents and fired him.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that BNSF violated federal law and ordered the railway to reinstate the worker, and pay back wages, attorney’s fees and compensatory damages. OSHA also assessed $150,000 in punitive damages.

“Federal law ensures that employees who report work-related injuries and follow the instructions of their treating physicians are protected from their employer’s adverse actions,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Eric Harbin in Dallas. “The department’s order underscores its commitment to enforcing whistleblower rights that ultimately protect workers and the public.”

The company and the employee may file objections or request a hearing, within 30 days of receipt of OSHA’s order, before the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, BNSF operates on a 32,500-mile rail network across 28 states and three Canadian provinces. The 170-year-old company, which now consists of nearly 400 railroad lines, is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program enforces the whistleblower provisions of 25 whistleblower statutes protecting employees from retaliation for reporting violations of various workplace safety and health, airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, securities and tax laws, and for engaging in other related protected activities. For more information on whistleblower protections, visit OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs webpage.

Safe + Sound Week – August 9-15, 2021

Announcing Safe + Sound Week 2021

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.

Who Participates?
All organizations looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 3,400 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety! Registration opens in July.

Check out our event archive for information on previous years’ engagement.

SafetyFOCUS Events Are Now Virtual

Due to the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and its cascading effects on safety and health, work, travel, and large gatherings, all SafetyFOCUS events are now virtual. Our hope is that this format will make SafetyFOCUS events more accessible while offering the same networking opportunities and high-quality education you expect from ASSP. IHMM is a member of ASSP and we are pleased to send all IHMM certificants and you may learn more here https://safetyfocus.assp.org/

Safe + Sound Week slated for Aug. 9-15

Safety and Health This Week

• Virtual NSC Safety Congress & Expo: What did you miss?

• EPA should ‘reconsider’ strategy for chemical risk evaluations: National Academies

• Study looks at relationship between construction injuries and time of day/shift

• Motivational Keynote: You have influence on everyone in your circle, Rollins says

• 2021 is the Year of the Safety Hero, NSC president says

Latest Safety Tips

• COVID-19: CPWR publishes ventilation tips for indoor construction sites
• The Superheroes of Safety Training Answer Your Questions

Latest Workplace Solutions

• Training Management for EHS Professionals

IHMM & AHMP Launch 45 in 5 – National Credential Recognition – 21 States Targeted

On January 25th, we began outlining the strategy to go after the 21 states in yellow, above.

This is just the beginning. Here is the present composition of the 45 In 5 Task Force and the states we are focusing on. More people may volunteer anytime!  https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/

• The State of Nebraska under 178 NAC Chapter 24 of the Department of Health and Human Services regulations recognizes the CHMM as eligible for remediation services. Thank you, Mary Duda.
• The State of California, Yuba Water Agency, PG&E Corp, Comcast, City of Elk Grove, Kaiser Permanente, thank you Cheryl Stith, who is working with Bart Miller on other agencies in California as well
• Sean Strong in the State of Colorado reports that the State DOT recognized the CHMM for positions there and he’s getting the documentation of that for us.
• At our March meeting, we further discussed efforts underway in Washington state, Iowa, and also organizing filing an initiated federal rulemaking to amend 40 CFR § 310.12 /Definitions to include the CHMM.
• Robert Wilkinson is working in the State of Tennessee on credential recognition
• Ineke Abunwass is helping us in the State of Georgia with credential recognition
• Jerome Fields, Eric Johnson, and Tony Uliano are working in the State of Washington on credential recognition
• Bill Diesslin in the State of Iowa is working on credential recognition there under a groundwater program

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.

Since the launch, we have added Delaware, Florida, Texas, California, Washington, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and New Mexico as the next states for us to work on with 42 volunteers.

Now 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 45 other states 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.

The Task Force meets again in April

ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY RECENT UPDATES

• Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Delay of Effective Date

• COVID-19 National Emphasis Program and Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan

• OSHA – National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH)

• US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES PLANS TO RESCIND TWO RULES THAT UNDERMINE WORKER PROTECTIONS AGAINST UNFAIR PAY PRACTICES

• US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ISSUES STRONGER MINE SAFETY GUIDANCE ON CORONAVIRUS

• US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AGAIN CITES OKLAHOMA CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR FOR EXPOSING WORKERS TO SERIOUS TRENCHING, EXCAVATION HAZARDS

• OSHA, SDSU, SD One Call Alliance to train, protect worker

• OSHA Reveals the Top 10 Most Cited Violations for FY 2020

• Report: OSHA Failed to Investigate Worker COVID Deaths

• Study looks at relationship between construction injuries and time of day/shift

• Trends in Workplace Safety Law in 2021: Part One

• OSHA launches program to protect high-risk workers from coronavirus, focuses on employers that retaliate against workers with safety concerns

Building Climate Change Resilience Virtual Training

EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities initiative is providing free virtual training sessions on its Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) for the Northeast climate region of the country. This training assists drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in planning for and adapting to climate change threats with a focus on resilience building and infrastructure financing. The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Water Companies, and NEIWPCC are helping to coordinate and co-sponsoring these events.

Training Objectives

• Conduct a risk assessment using CREAT;

• Identify and share information on adaptation strategies to build utility long-term resilience; and

• Share information on available resources for financing resilience and adaptation.

Upcoming Sessions
• CREAT Module 5 (Risk Assessment) and an overview of local financial resources utilities can apply for to fund adaptation measures

• Session 4: March 23, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. E.T.

• A brief overview of previous information, then open agenda for attendees to ask questions about using CREAT, how to apply it to their circumstances, and how to seek funding for adaptation strategies. (Optional)

**Earn Continuing education units (CEUs) from select states **

REGISTER HERE

HMS UPDATES

HMS Donations

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.

HMS Education and Training

Hazardous Materials Society now has 14,912 education and training programs on its website https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/ with more coming every week. Certificants will note that most of these programs carry a CMP value, making it easier to know in advance what to expect. The HMS Education and Training platform also provides a wide variety of courses for professional development across all of IHMM’s credentials – and more are being developed by the HMS Education and Training Committee.

This is the center of education and training for IHMM certificants and prospective certificants. Among these more than 15.000 programs are webinars delivered online and virtually all carry IHMM CMPs values with them for your annual / 5-year CMP planning. SEE: https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/

HMS Affinity Programs –  RCM&D Professional Liability Insurance

With more than 27,000 people – here is where HMS leverages our numbers for member’s benefit. There is strength and value in numbers and that translates into lower costs for you.

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.