IHMM Remotely Proctored Exams Available Now
IHMM is pleased to announce that 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 of 2020.
About 60% 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. There are Kryterion centers available worldwide and we also offer remotely-proctored testing wherever you are.
Please contact either Kortney Tunstall at [email protected] for the CHMM, CHMP, or CDGP exams or Kaylene Cagle at [email protected] for the CSHM or CSMP exams.
Phone: 301-984-8969 | [email protected]
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
IHMM Today is an online publication of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
Other than content specifically provided by IHMM, articles contained in IHMM Today are compiled from independent sources and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of IHMM.
IHMM Credential Recognition
Below you will see the 8 credential badges that are now in each 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
IHMM has completed inserting new credential badges in every certificant’s MYIHMM account. Everyone may access those badges for use in their email signatures, LinkedIn accounts, and other social media and communications media. 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.
Throughout our certificant’s MYIHMM accounts are also now placed 10 Year, 20 Year, and 30 Year badges signifying their longevity as an IHMM certified professional.
IHMM has also added Distinguished Diplomates and Fellows of the Institute badges to the appropriate people in the MYIHMM database. These two badges will be accompanied by new lapel pins to be sent to each of those distinguished by holding these designations.
Follow IHMM on Twitter
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.
IHMM Board Nominations for 2021 Open
IHMM Board Nominations for 2021 OpenThis newsletter opens the 2021 Board Nominations season. In 2021 we have one position open, the CHMP representative, open for a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2022.
This process is guided by the IHMM Nominating Committee, chaired by Nathan Phelan > https://ihmm.org/nominating-committee/ We appreciate our Nominating Committee volunteers’ work working through the following documents and reviews before coming to a proposed slate of nominees.
- 2021 IHMM Nominations and Elections Process
- 2021 IHMM Call for Nominations
- 2021 IHMM Fillable Nominations Form
This announcement is the Call for Nominations. ONLY CHMPs may participate in this year’s process as the position is for a CHMP representative on the Board. IHMM will hold this phase of the process open through June 30, 2021, when it will then close to further nominations.
The Nominating Committee will review nomination documents, interview nominees, perform a series of background checks, and then deliberate on a proposed slate of nominees through August 13, 2021. After August 31, 2021, the proposed slate will go to the IHMM Board for review at its September meeting.
The CHMP representative’s elections will begin on October 1, 2021, and run through October 29, 2021. The winning nominee will be announced during the week of November 5, 2021, for a term to commence on January 1, 2022.
To nominate a CHMP for this position, use only the
Thank you.
CALL TO ACTION – H.R. 2171, “Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act.” Representative Spanberger of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District has drafted legislation that expands the provisions of existing law with respect to the allowable uses of Section 529 education tuition accounts.
PLEASE GO HERE TO PARTICIPATE: https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/
All you have to do is enter your name, address, and zip code and the IHMM VoterVoice system does the rest and automatically sends our message to your Senators and members of the House of Representatives. It’s very easy and matters!
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Under H.R. 2171 those pursuing or who already have private credentials may use their Section 529 savings for applications, examinations, professional development/certification maintenance points /costs recertification, and so on.
The “Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act” will enable those who seek professional, post-secondary credentials from institutions recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. A copy of the draft legislation is here.
Spanberger co-led the introduction of the legislation alongside U.S. Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI-06), Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01). A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Braun (R-IN).
Employers Confused About Workplace Guidance, Employees, and COVID?
Employers Confused About Workplace Guidance, Employees, and COVID?OSHA Tells Employers to Follow CDC Mask Guidance
In a sign that the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact is waning and vaccines are having an impact on the spread of the virus, on May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that fully vaccinated people may resume their pre-COVID-19 pandemic activities without wearing a mask, except where required by, among other things, federal or state law and local business and workplace guidance and rules.
Though welcome news for many, the CDC’s announcement left employers wondering whether they still needed to, or should, require fully vaccinated employees to wear face coverings consistent with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Jan. 29, 2021, COVID-19 non-mandatory guidance, titled “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace.”
On May 17, OSHA answered the question: “No.” On its website, the workplace safety agency instructed employers to follow the CDC’s recent mask guidance for employees who are fully vaccinated. OSHA’s announcement, however, does not apply to activities in the health care industry (see CDC announcement for some additional exceptions). OSHA plans to update its non-mandatory COVID-19 safety and health guidance based on the CDC’s new mask guidance.
Although OSHA has given employers the “green light” to permit fully vaccinated employees to stop wearing face coverings in the workplace, employers must still adhere to state and local mask mandates. To date, not all states and localities have withdrawn their mask mandates; some states, like California, Virginia, Michigan, and Oregon, have workplace safety regulations related to COVID-19 that specifically require employees to wear face coverings in the workplace without regard to whether an employee is fully vaccinated. As such, employers should review state and local mandates and regulations when considering whether to roll back their employee face-covering requirement.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
IHMM’s offices in Rockville, Maryland is a prime example of the complexity of making these decisions as employers. While the May 13th CDC guidance allowed for fully vaccinated employees to not wear masks in the workplace except where federal or state law or business or local regulation required it – OSHA updated its guidance to defer to the CDC on May 17th. The State of Maryland guidance now follows the CDC. Montgomery County, Maryland, however, requires businesses to follow CDC guidance – or – the Montgomery County Department of Health, whichever is more strict. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/face-coverings.html.
Welcome All Hazards – University of Findlay Training Center to IHMM and HMS
Welcome All Hazards – University of Findlay Training Center to IHMM and HMSToday we welcome the All Hazards Training Center, established by the University of Findlay, which is the nation’s leader in the development and delivery of customized environmental, health and safety training programs. Our programs meet our client’s individual training needs on a facility-by-facility, division-by-division – or even a complete corporate-wide basis, coast-to-coast.
All Hazard’s goal is to become your EHS Training partner. Since our inception in 1989, we have trained over a quarter-million participants in all 50 states and 4 foreign countries. IHMM and HMS appreciates the contributions of the All Hazards Training Center and its programs in support of IHMM certificants.
See> https://www.findlayallhazards.com/
Welcome!
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Self-Paced, Top-Rated Online Hazmat Training
CHEMTREC, the world’s leader in hazmat emergency response, can help keep your company safe and compliant with our online hazmat training courses. Available training includes Hazmat General, Safety and Security Awareness, 49 CFR, IATA, Lithium Battery Shipping and more. Sign up today!
IHMM & AHMP 45 in 5 Project – National Credential Recognition – 21 States Targeted
On January 25th, we began outlining the strategy to go after the 21 states in yellow, above. Since then we have succeeded in adding Nebraska, Colorado, and California.
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/
- Washington state AHMP chapter is about to file its material seeking recognition of the CHMM with the state and that can serve as a template for other states – MTCA regulatory update in your library.
- We need everyone to engage their federal House and Senate Members on HR 2171, here > https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/
- Every IHMM credential page now has a section on “Who Hires…” and you can see the CHMM version here > https://ihmm.org/chmm/ The federal and state agencies that recognize our credentials is extraordinary ranging from EPA to NASA and private sector companies from Abbvie to Texas Instruments. This is a great foundation on which to build formal govt recognition
- When Oracle in Karnataka, India needs an Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Oracle looks for an IHMM CSHM.
- Explore with Erik Vega in Puerto Rico on the approach to agencies there.
- The CSHM and CSMP will have new blueprints by the 4th q of this year, so our efforts on behalf of both should wait until that project is completed.
- Any other areas where we need attention?
- We can launch on the regulatory update of https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/312.10 40 CFR 312.10 this summer
- We can launch on the regulatory update of SBA guidance to lenders for Phase I and II assessments this summer, anything else from the last meeting on this topic? Environmental Phase I Assessment Reports in your library
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, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico as the next places for us to work on with 44 volunteers.
The Task Force meets again in June.
IHMM NEWS RECENT UPDATES
Request for Information on Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern for the National Emerging Contaminant Research Initiative
EPA Poised to Propose TSCA Section 8(a) Reporting Rule on PFAS Chemicals
Positive drug tests for U.S. workers remain near historic highs: annual index
Preparation & Prevention: Top 5 Workplace Summertime Injuries
Transportation/Hazardous Materials Regulations: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Clarifies Compressed Gases Requirement
OSHA, PHMSA seeking input ahead of GHS conferences
FMCSA extends COVID-19 emergency declaration through August
AMBIPAR USA will lead emergency response and hazardous materials training at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado
Finland Breaks Ground On Its Deep Geologic Nuclear Waste Repository
Will OSHA Release a COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard?
DOE Announces New ARPA-E Opportunity for Advanced Reactor Waste Management
California: Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions; Final Correction
Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management Programs Under the Clean Air Act
Expedited Approval of Alternative Test Procedures for the Analysis of Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act; Analysis and Sampling Procedures
EPA collaborates with state of Michigan on cleanup of former Allied Paper Landfill
Ohio industrial company accused of illegally storing hazardous waste
Journey of PFAS in wastewater facilities highlights regulation challenges
New Mexico weighs changes to permit for nuclear waste dump
Where Do IHMM’s ASHMs Work?
Where Do IHMM’s ASHMs Work?Here are a few examples of where Associate Safety and Health Manager certificants work…
IHMM is a member of the National Safety Council and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants
Join NSC and our sponsor VelocityEHS – Award-winning EHS & Sustainability Software – for the 25th anniversary of National Safety Month, an annual observance to help keep each other safe from the workplace to anyplace.
With the U.S. seeing the highest number of workplace deaths since 2007 – 5,333 fatal workplace injuries in 2019 – this observance is more important than ever.
Week 1 – Prevent Incidents Before They Start
Week 2 – Address Ongoing COVID-19 Safety Concerns
Week 3 – It’s Vital to Feel Safe on the Job
Week 4 – Advance Your Safety Journey
NSC Impact Tracks
The NSC Impact Tracks provide valuable educational opportunities for safety professionals looking to enhance their career, brush up on their skills and earn CEUs in the comfort of their home or office. This new virtual opportunity provides a day of topically focused education featuring five 60 minute technical sessions, lunch and stretch breaks, and an opening welcome from NSC President & CEO, Lorraine Martin. Each session will be taught by leading safety and subject experts in the field.
SAVE MY SPOT
NSC Webinars
June 2 – Webinar: OSHA Safety Training – How to Make it Effective
June 2: A Step-by-Step OH&S Impact Guide to Biden’s Infrastructure Spending Plan
June 2: Managing Safety Exposures Associated With Industrial Energized Assets to Prevent Serious Injuries and Fatalities
June 8: How to Create an Engaging Hybrid Training Environment
June 10: What is ISO 45001? And What Impact Will It Have on Your Business?
June 17: Could You Do More to Reduce Your Manufacturing Workplace Safety Risks?
June 17: Oil & Gas: Using Data to Understand and Address Safety and Health Issues
June 23: Why category management and data analytics are essential in the fight against supply chain waste
Please join us in participating in Safe + Sound Week from August 9-15, 2021. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August to show your business’s commitment to keep workers safe year-round. Safe + Sound Week is also a time when information and ideas are shared to help get your safety and health program started or improve an existing program.
Download the Save the Date and share that you’ll be participating in Safe + Sound Week on social media using #SafeAndSoundAtAWork.
A Safety and Health Pledge for Managers
| When management leadership is sincere and is supported by actions, workers know that safety and health are important to business success. A safety pledge is one way to demonstrate your commitment to workplace safety and health. Create your own safety pledge using A Safety and Health Pledge for Managers template, then share it with your workers and on social media using #SafeAndSoundAtAWork. |
Economic Benefits of the OSHA On-Site Consultation Program
OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services for small and medium-sized business in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories. When employers use consultation services, the employers and their workers experience benefits that include lower injury and illness rates, improved morale, and economic benefits.
In fact, the On-Site Consultation Program generates national economic benefits of approximately $1.3 billion per year.
The table below breaks down the program’s economic benefits.
Spring Arrives with a Slate of Exciting
Virtual Events and Trainings
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to share information regarding a full slate of upcoming opportunities for chemical industry stakeholders to stay abreast of key regulatory developments both in the United States and internationally. We hope you will join B&C professionals, industry colleagues, and regulatory agency speakers for one or more of these events.
TSCA at Five Virtual Conference – June 30, 2021
This June marks the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the game-changing Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) that amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). With a new Administration and the relentless pace of regulatory developments related to Lautenberg implementation, there are many issues to consider and problems to solve.
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) are pleased to announce the fifth annual conference providing updates and insights regarding the current state of TSCA implementation, ongoing and emerging issues, and related developments. Topics will include how EPA is implementing Section 6 risk evaluation provisions, changes in new chemical review, existing chemical risk management provisions, and TSCA’s role in achieving environmental justice, among other topics.
As with our previous TSCA anniversary events, a stellar faculty of speakers from government, non-governmental organizations, industry, and academia will convene to inform, analyze, discuss, and debate the most pressing issues related to TSCA with regulatory practitioners and other stakeholder attendees.
Detailed program and registration information to come. SAVE THE DATE!
TSCA Tutor® On-Demand Virtual Training
Available 24/7/365
Enroll Online
B&C’s TSCA Tutor online e-training platform offers expert, efficient, essential TSCA training. Professionals seeking TSCA training can preview and enroll in on-demand classes to complete at their own pace and timing.
TSCA Tutor online training courses include:
• Video lessons.
• Detailed handout materials, including copies of all presentations and relevant course materials from EPA and other sources.
• Customizable, yet detailed and ready-to-use Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the regulatory topic covered in the session.
Interested professionals should visit www.TSCAtutor.com to view sample course segments and purchase modules. Volume discounts are available for companies wishing to purchase courses for multiple employees.
HMS and Earning Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs]
IHMM created HMS, in large measure, so that IHMM certificants could have one, central place within which to find professional development courses in which to earn certification maintenance points. HMS courses cover all of IHMM’s 8 credentials, not only one.
We’ve made it easy to find CMPs.
- Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/
- Go to the Education and Training tab
- Scroll down until you see these buttons…and click on the CMPs button
- The system will produce a listing of the programs on the platform that have already been reviewed and given CMP ratings. You can find the programs suitable for you.
For example, one of the programs is from Columbia Southern University, offered online, has 36 CMPs attached, and is FREE. This is only one example. There are hundreds of programs on HMS.
ASSP Names Three New Fellows
Global Analog ASSP Market Report Helps To Predict Investment In An Emerging Market For The Forecast Period 2028
ASSP-endorsed measures may reduce funds for programs and clubs
Cerio named Safety Professional of the Year
ASSP Webinars
June 2: A Step-by-Step OH&S Impact Guide to Biden’s Infrastructure Spending Plan
June 3: Keep Your Fall Protection Program Up to Date with Newest ANSI/ASSP Standards
June 7 – 11: Risk Education Week
IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to provide this information to all of our certificants.
HMS UPDATES
HMS Donations
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.
HMS Education and Training
Hazardous Materials Society now has 11,585 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 – Professional Liability Insurance
Reaching more than 127,000 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.
IHMM/HMS Coronavirus Resources
IHMM/HMS Coronavirus ResourcesIn February of 2020, the World Health Organization’s director-general has declared a public health emergency of international concern over the ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus. On March 13, 2020 President Trump declared a national emergency for the United States. IHMM and HMS’ first concern is with the safety and health of all of us; our staff and families, colleagues, certificants and members. We will update this page regularly as credible, authoritative information is available.
INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND LABORATORIES.
COVID-19 Data Tracker By State
COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in Non-Healthcare Workplaces
COVID-19 Weekly Review – May 28, 2021
CDC Communications Toolkit
Are adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine recordable on the OSHA recordkeeping log?
In general, an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is recordable if the reaction is: (1) work-related, (2) a new case, and (3) meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7 (e.g., days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid).
If you require your employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment (i.e., for work-related reasons), then any adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is work-related. The adverse reaction is recordable if it is a new case under 29 CFR 1904.6 and meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7.
State Vaccination Distribution Plans
New! Vaccine Data Dashboard. We now have a specific dashboard dedicated to state vaccination plans, updated daily. For each state, you’ll find:
- Current distribution phase,
- Brief overview of state plan,
- Current and future eligible populations, and
- Links to state documentation.
Member Benefits of Hazardous Materials Society
81% 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.
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 413 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. 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> https://community.ihmm.org/home
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 Jim Drosdak at [email protected] and he’ll be happy to help you.
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 2021
IHMM will attend and support a number of conferences and trade shows throughout 2021, virtually as well as in-person as COVID issues allow. Below are the first few conferences we have coming up early in 2021.
AHMP 2021 National Conference
July 25-28, 2021
Sheraton Kansas City at Crown Center
Kansas City, Missouri
College & University Hazardous Materials Management Conference
August 7-12, 2021
Denver, Colorado
This conference is currently planned as being entirely virtual.
ASSP Safety21 Conference & Expo
September 13-15, 2021
Austin, Texas
This is a hybrid conference of both virtual and in-person events
Global Enviro Summit
September 14-17, 2021
Charlotte, North Carolina
EnviroSummit is a global conference with international presentations in the morning on the main stage, and breakout sessions for Remediation, Vapor Intrusion, Air Quality and Wastewater in the afternoon.
The Environmental Workshops, LLC is the manager of the 2021 Global EnviroSummit. Since 2013, the EnviroWorkshops has hosted close to 400 workshops on 6 continents, in 20 countries, and in over 100 cities worldwide. Over 20,000 environmental professionals have registered around the globe and they continue to expand into new countries every year.
Annual Conference of the Federation of Environmental Technologists
December 7-9, 2021
Ingleside Hotel, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Due to schedule challenges at the hotel and safety concerns of COVID during 2021, the FET Board has made the decision to host the in-person conference in December this year. We intend to move the Environment 2022 Conference back to October.
IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Beltway Buzz – Ogletree & Deakins
EEOC Releases Vaccine Guidance. On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued much-needed guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and the workplace. According to the guidance:
- Federal law does not prohibit employers “from requiring all employees physically entering the worksite to be vaccinated for COVID-19.” Nevertheless, employers that adopt such policies “must comply with the reasonable accommodation requirements of the [Americans with Disabilities Act]” and other federal equal employment opportunity requirements, and “should keep in mind” that such policies could have a potential disparate impact on certain employees.
- Employers may incentivize employees to voluntarily provide proof of vaccination from a third party.
- Employers that administer vaccines to employees may provide incentives to encourage vaccination “as long as the incentives are not coercive” (e.g., so large as to render the employees’ decisions to disclose pre-vaccination disability-related screening information involuntary).
President Biden to Nominate Union Attorney for NLRB. This week, President Joe Biden announced that he would nominate union-side attorney Gwynne Wilcox to fill the lone vacant seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If confirmed, Wilcox would be the first Black woman to serve as a member of the Board. Regardless of what happens with Wilcox’s nomination, Republicans will maintain a majority on the Board until August 27, 2021, when Republican member William Emanuel’s term expires. With U.S. Senate confirmation of Wilcox’s nomination, and with Emanuel’s departure in August and the nomination and confirmation of his replacement, it is possible the NLRB could have a Democratic majority by early fall of 2021.
OSHA ETS Update. Again. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) continued its meetings with stakeholders this week to discuss the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS). It has now been over one month since OSHA sent the draft ETS to OIRA. In that time, the percentage of the total population that has received one vaccination dose has increased from almost 43 percent to about 50 percent. About 62 percent of all adults in the United States—the individuals who make up the great majority of the workforce—have received as least one vaccine dose. In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh this week, Republican members of the House Committee on Education and Labor cited the increasing prevalence of vaccinations among workers, coupled with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent mask guidance for vaccinated individuals, as reasons why the ETS should be withdrawn. “[A]n ETS is a completely unnecessary response that would only tie the hands of business owners who have already taken extraordinary and unprecedented efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus in the workplace,” the legislators wrote in the letter.
OSHA Does About-Face on Vaccine Recording. In other OSHA news, in April 2021 the Buzz discussed OSHA’s guidance on when employees’ adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines were work-related and therefore recordable in the employer’s injury and illness logs. OSHA has now reversed this guidance, stating that it will not require employers to record workers’ COVID-19 vaccine side effects through May 2022. OSHA reasons that it “does not wish to have any appearance of discouraging workers from receiving COVID-19 vaccination, and also does not wish to disincentivize employers’ vaccination efforts.” John F. Martin has the details.
DOL to Rescind Union Transparency Rule. Earlier this spring, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) stopped enforcing the Trump-era DOL’s 2020 Form T-1 Rule, which established new transparency requirements for union financial reporting. This week, the DOL issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to rescind the rule altogether. The DOL maintains that rescission is necessary because the 2020 rule was overbroad, unnecessary, and unsupported by the rulemaking record. Comments are due on or before July 26, 2021.
Workplace Bills on the Move in Congress. Bills concerning nursing workers and standards of proof in discrimination claims moved forward in the legislative process this week.
- The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the House Committee on Education and Labor advanced the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658 / H.R. 3110). The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would expand existing workplace protections that require employers to provide reasonable time and space for nursing workers to pump breast milk. More specifically, the legislation would expand coverage to include exempt employees and provide an enforcement mechanism to address situations in which employers fail to provide such accommodations. With bipartisan congressional support and the backing of members of the business community, the bill’s outlook is positive.
- The House Committee on Education and Labor also approved the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (H.R. 2062). The bill would reject the “but-for” causation standard established in Supreme Court of the United States decisions in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar and allow plaintiffs to pursue “motivating factor” claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
USCIS Nominee Takes First Step in Confirmation Process. This week, the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Ur Mendozza Jaddou, whom President Biden has nominated to be director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Jaddou previously served as chief counsel for USCIS. If confirmed, Jaddou would take the reins of an agency that is trying to rebuild itself amidst application backlogs, funding issues, and ongoing pandemic-related concerns.
Vendor Alert: How much of this business did you get?
IHMM saw an increase in applications of more than 50% in 2020, and for the first 1/3rd of 2021 now has 393 people waiting to take exams. How much of this business did your company see? If you’re missing out contact Diane McLevy at [email protected] and see how you can benefit from a relationship with IHMM and HMS.
IHMM EVENTS CALENDAR
IHMM HAS A COMPANION ORGANIZATION FOR WHICH EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE PRESENTED AND DELIVERED. THE CALENDAR IN THIS SPACE IS FROM THE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SOCIETY WEBSITE AND THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTION FOUND HERE: https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470, Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 Fax:301-984-1516