EHS Professional – January 26, 2023

Thursday, January 26, 2023

EHS Professional is an online publication of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)

Other than content specifically provided by IHMM, articles contained in EHS Professional
are compiled from independent sources and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of IHMM.
Phone: 301-984-8969 | [email protected]

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From ASHM to CSHM – Build Your ESH Career

With graduation from an IHMM-approved college or university you became an Associate Safety and Health Manager [ASHM]. The next step is to become a Certified Safety and Health Manager [CSHM].

IHMM’s Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM®) credential recognizes environmental, health and safety managers who have a mastery of OSHA regulations and industry standards as well as exceptional management skills. The holder of this credential manages for worker and workplace safety. As a health and safety manager, you are focused on the safety of your employees and workplace. Now you can be recognized for your commitment with a CSHM® credential.

IHMM Credential Recognition

Below you will see the 4 EHS credential badges that are now in each CSHM, CSMP, ASHM, and Student 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

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.


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, CDGP, CSHM and CSMP exams.

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, CHMP, or CDGP exams or Kaylene Cagle at [email protected] for the 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 UPDATES

OSHA to Follow White House’s Lead in 2023

The Biden administration will fight to advance federal agency agendas, despite Republican opposition.

Following the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in the last election, you are sure to hear loud challenges coming from that direction to the Biden administration’s regulatory game plan, but don’t expect federal agencies to back down from their energetic support for the Biden agenda.

Prominent House Republicans have been crystal clear about one thing: They are committed to opening a number of committee investigations into what they see as Democratic malfeasance and misfeasance, ranging from the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic to a regulatory agenda explicitly crafted to promote the interests of the Democrats’ labor union and other special interest allies.

Read more by clicking here

New Jersey Contractor Cited Again After OSHA Finds Workers Exposed to Fall Hazards

A Trenton roofing contractor previously cited for exposing workers to fall hazards is facing additional citations for the same violation following an inspection at a different worksite.

According to a news release, OSHA found four workers without fall protection and at risk of falling 30 feet in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Guelsin Lima, doing business as Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC, was cited for nine willful and three serious violations and received proposed penalties of $584,333.

Just a few months prior to the most recent citation, Guelsin Lima received citations for four willful and two serious violations and proposed penalties of $247,309 after the agency found workers not using fall protection at other sites.

“Guelsin Lima has a significant OSHA history and is fully aware of what OSHA standards require. This latest inspection offers further proof that the operator of Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC simply refuses to comply with the law,” explained OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in the news release. “We will use our full authority to hold this employer, and others who continually put employees in danger, accountable.”

Original article > https://ohsonline.com/articles/2023/01/16/new-jersey-contractor-cited.aspx?admgarea=ht.ConstructionSafety

Deadly Gamble: Ohio Contractor With History of Violations Endangers Workers At 3 Trench Sites in a Week; Damaged Safety Gear Found at Site of Worker’s Death

An Ohio excavation contractor, cited six times since 2017 for ignoring federal trench-safety rules, allowed employees to work with damaged safety equipment on July 26, 2022, the day a 33-year-old worker in Columbus suffered fatal injuries, a federal workplace safety investigation has found.

The worker was pinned between the “spreader” bars of a trench box and the wall of a 7-foot-deep excavation. OSHA investigators found a sling hook came loose while the box was suspended in the trench.

Before the tragedy, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed Underground Utilities Inc. of Monroeville exposing crews to trenching hazards that same day at a Sandusky worksite and at another in Avon Lake five days earlier, on July 21, 2022. The crews were replacing municipal sewer and water lines at the time.

Read more > https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20230117

The Perfect Time to ‘Step Up’ Employee Training

American Ladder Institute aims to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities, and increase the number of ladder safety training certificates issued.

Ahead of National Ladder Safety Month, which occurs in March, the American Ladder Institute outlined the four key themes that the organization will focus on:

Week One – Choosing Your Ladder
Week Two – Safety Before the First Step (Inspection and Set Up)
Week Three – Safety While Climbing
Week Four – Safety at the Top

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ladder deaths accounted for 161 on-the-job fatalities in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

That same year, there were 22,710 ladder-related workplace injuries, an injury stat that has remained relatively constant over the previous several years.

Read more by clicking here.

Keeping Workers Safe from Crane Hazards

Incidents involving cranes lead to over 400 nonfatal injuries in 2020.

Cranes are useful machinery essential in many projects. However, their use also brings hazards.

In 2020, there were 490 cases of non-fatal incidents involving cranes that caused workers to miss work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). From 2011 to 2017, an average of 42 workers died from crane-related deaths each year, per the BLS. The most frequent incident involving cranes that led to worker death during this time period was struck by incidents. Falls to a lower level and transportation-related incidents accounted for fewer deaths, but still lead to workers losing their lives.

In November 2022, an incident led to a crane-related death in Guam, according to a news release. Following the incident, OSHA advised “employers in Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands to enhance safety measures to protect workers against crane hazards,” the news release said.

Read more > https://ohsonline.com/articles/2023/01/09/workers-safe-from-crane-hazards.aspx?admgarea=ht.ConstructionSafety

Resource offers model policies for protecting fire-based EMS workers from violence

Drexel University’s Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends has created model organizational policies aimed at addressing stress and violence in fire-based emergency medical services workers.

NIOSH data shows that, in 2020, violence was the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries to EMS professionals, with a majority of injuries arising from encounters with patients or bystanders during patient care.

The resource is a companion to a checklist developed by FIRST’s Stress and Violence in Fire-Based EMS Responders (SAVER) program in 2019. Guidance for organizations and employers includes:

  • Create procedures for assessing scene safety and communicating needs during unsafe conditions.
  • Use common language when defining violence against workers.
  • Establish collaboration and communication with EMS responders, dispatch and law enforcement to provide EMS with sufficient notice, knowledge and preparation for responding to calls.
  • Involve EMS workers “in the design of the system in which they work and looking to them for feedback when the system fails.”
  • Encourage workers to report all incidents of verbal and physical violence experienced during work.

“Fire and rescue departments are encouraged to incorporate the SAVER model policies into their current policy manuals and to develop their own standard operating procedures and guidelines to support each policy,” the U.S. Fire Administration says.

Original article > https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/23499-resource-offers-model-policies-for-protecting-fire-based-ems-workers-from-violence

Happiness at Work, Cleaning up and Stepping it up: What We’re Reading This Week

Some health and well-being news to help you start the year off right.

I am finally getting used to 2023. It always takes me a few weeks to make sure I say or write the correct year.

Every time the calendar changes, I think “Has it really been that long since x happened? Geez, the years are going so fast!” This January, I’m making a conscious effort to pause and settle in this January. It helps that a friend gifted me a five-year journal that affords me the opportunity to carve out a little space and reflect on each day.

I’ve accepted the gloomy grey skies, made more bearable with daily use of my happy light each morning. I’ve made peace with the cold temperatures by making my favorite soups to warm up from the inside out.

It’s in this mindset that I read the news this week, so perhaps not surprisingly I was attracted to news about health and well-being. I hope you find them enlightening as well.

Also, as a reminder, OSHA’s annual adjustments to civil penalty amounts take effect Jan. 17. OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $14,502 per violation to $15,625 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $145,027 per violation to $156,259 per violation. Perhaps it’s a good time to remind your company that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Read more by clicking here.

US Department of Labor announces annual adjustments to OSHA civil penalties for 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor announced changes to Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2023.

In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to advance the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. Under the Act, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. This year, January 15 falls on a Sunday and January 16 is a federal holiday. Therefore, new OSHA penalty amounts will become effective Jan. 17, 2023.

OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $14,502 per violation to $15,625 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $145,027 per violation to $156,259 per violation.

Visit the OSHA Penalties page and read the final rule for more information.

Original article > https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/trade/01122023

Health and Safety Protection for Domestic Workers

California recently created occupational health and safety guidelines for domestic workers.

Domestic workers perform essential services in the most intimate realm of the home by providing clean, safe spaces for families to enjoy and by caring for children, seniors and those with illnesses or disabilities. Workers are often integrated into the daily rhythms and routines of households, enabling families to function and thrive since domestic work “is the work that makes all other work possible” [Poo, 2015].

In 2017, the University of California Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (UCLA LOSH), in collaboration with the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and the California Domestic Workers Coalition (CDWC) released a study, Hidden Work, Hidden Pain: Injury Experiences of Domestic Workers in California. The report offered insight into the various occupational injuries and illnesses experienced by the domestic workforce like housekeepers, childcare providers and caregivers. The report highlighted the need for all domestic workers to be included under California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CalOSHA) protection.

Read more > https://ohsonline.com/articles/2023/01/25/health-and-safety-protection-for-domestic-workers.aspx?m=1

Become a Better Safety Leader in 2023

An EHS Today-hosted webinar sponsored by AlertMedia

Originally broadcast on January 24, 2023. Now available On Demand.
Sponsor: AlertMedia

Register Today!
Already registered? Please click here to log in.

Safety leaders receive a myriad of technical training for their roles, but two crucial components of leadership—how to make confident decisions and how to lead people through a crisis—are often overlooked.

Eric McNulty, Associate Director and Program Faculty at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) at Harvard University, is a published business author, professor, speaker, and expert on how to lead more effectively and with greater confidence during crisis and change. Join Eric and AlertMedia’s Senior VP of Safety Solutions, Peter Steinfeld, in this masterclass on how to excel at safety leadership, no matter the situation.

Read more by clicking here.

OSHA and MSHA partner on poster and infographic on preventing heat illness

A new poster and infographic from OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration offer best practices to help mine operators and workers prevent heat illness and heat-related hazards.

To start, the agencies recommend easing into work to build tolerance to heat. Almost 3 out of 4 fatalities related to heat illness occur during the first week of work, the poster states.

Other guidance:

  • Provide workers with heat stress training.
  • Implement mine planning, ventilation and air conditioning to reduce heat, when possible.
  • Promote reasonably short work periods and provide frequent rest breaks in cool areas.
  • Wear a hat and light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing, when possible.
  • Drink at least 1 cup of cool water every 20 minutes, even if you aren’t thirsty.

Signs of heat illness include headache, nausea, dizziness, heavy sweating and elevated body temperature. Workers experiencing these symptoms shouldn’t be left alone and should be provided with water in a cool rest area.

If a worker exhibits abnormal thinking or behavior, slurred speech, seizures, or loss of consciousness, call 911 right away and use water or ice to cool the worker immediately. Remain with the worker until help arrives.

The agencies encourage mine operators and workers to use and distribute the poster and infographic.

Original article > https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/23497-osha-and-msha-partner-on-poster-and-infographic-on-preventing-heat-illness

Miner Safety and Health App Can Now Be Used in Spanish

The app is available to miners in both English and Spanish.

An app launched in 2022 for miners is now available in a second language, allowing more people to access important information and resources.

According to a news release, the Miner Safety and Health App, which launched in August 2022 in English, is available in Spanish, the Department of Labor announced in mid-January. To enable Spanish, change the language on your phone to Spanish.

“Spanish-speaking miners throughout the U.S. now have access to important mine safety and health information and their rights as miners in the palm of their hands,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson in the news release.

Read more > https://ohsonline.com/articles/2023/01/24/miner-safety-and-health-app.aspx?admgarea=ht.HandProtection

US Department of Labor Resumes Regular Enforcement Activities in 18 Florida Counties Affected by Hurricane Ian

OSHA has resumed normal enforcement throughout Florida after suspending most programmed enforcement actions in the hurricane’s aftermath. With these actions on-hold, OSHA provided compliance assistance and outreach to employers and workers involved in the clean-up and recovery operations in 18 counties affected by the storm, namely Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia.

Read more > https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20230124-2

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.

IHMM Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist® [CPPS®] Credential

Dan Blankfeld, CSHM, CSMP, Chair of the Microcredential Task Force, is pleased to announce the release of the IHMM Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist [CPPS] credential blueprint. The Task Force received more than 200 suggestions for microcredentials that could be used in conjunction with existing IHMM credentials to add depth to specific knowledge and experience areas. Microcredentials are short, focused credentials designed to provide in-demand skills, know-how and experience.

Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist® (CPPS®) Microcredential holder is first a CHMM or CSHM credentialed professional who has demonstrated, through education, experience, and examination, the ability to identify and assess the risks associated with pathogens and their effect on public health, commerce, industry, and/or government operation. The focus of the CPPS microcredential is to: assess and provide guidance concerning the preparedness levels of different entities, and develop and implement risk-reduction strategies.

The Task Force is making progress on the construction of the CPPS examination at this writing. We look forward to the completion of the examination and launch of the credential to the IHMM community and then begin working with federal officials from the CDC, NIH, and White House Pandemic Innovation Task Force on being better prepared for the next pandemic. Read the March, 2022 release from the White House here.

The new CPPS credential blueprint is found here.

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. The 45 in 5 Project is for ALL IHMM credentials. This summer we have worked on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers health and safety manual that recognizes the CSHM and CSMP credentials. We are working with a CSHM in New York on their Department of Labor recognizing the CSHM.

  • 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
Learn more about the AHMP-IHMM 45 in 5 Project here

OSHA’s FY 2023 Outreach Initiatives

As part of our efforts to keep you informed of OSHA’s activities, we have attached a document that summarizes OSHA’s outreach initiatives for FY 2023.  It includes a summary of key national initiatives, a listing of priority industries/topics, and a calendar of key dates. Please note: As we receive new/updated information about events, we will share it with you.

We hope this document will be a helpful tool as we continue to work together to support OSHA’s outreach initiatives.

See > https://ihmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/OSHA-FY2023-Outreach-Initiatives.pdf

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.

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.

Recert Video #1

Recert Video #2

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.

  • Every CSHM and CSMP should start a recertification application now.
  • Even if your recertification is years away, starting an application now and adding your accumulated points enables you to see where you are all the time and it makes it very easy when you have to file your application

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.  The first two IHMM Scholarships were awarded before Thanksgiving to Thomas Gerding, Student ASHM, and Ryan Bellacov, Student CHMM! Congratulations to Thomas and Ryan for being our first scholarship award winners.

Go to >  https://ihmm.org/scholarship/

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.

IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Beltway Buzz – Ogletree Deakins

Union Membership Decreases. The percentage of workers who are union members dropped to 10.1 percent in 2022 from 10.3 percent in 2021, according to data released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In the private sector, the unionization rate fell to 6 percent last year from 6.1 percent in 2021. According to BLS:

The 2022 unionization rate (10.1 percent) is the lowest on record. In 1983, the first year where comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers.

Thus, despite some splashy headlines and a few high-profile examples, the great majority of employees continue to reject unionization. Expect labor unions and their allies in Washington, D.C., to spin these numbers as a reason to double down on efforts to tilt the labor policy field in favor of labor unions.

D.C. Circuit Issues Ruling on NLRB 2019 Election Regs. This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision relating to five specific provisions of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) 2019 changes to its regulations governing union elections. In a May 2020 decision, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (in an opinion by then-judge Ketanji Brown Jackson) invalidated the five provisions as contrary to the Administrative Procedure Act because the NLRB did not seek public comment on the changes. (The Board argued that the changes were procedural, not substantive, in nature and that public comment was not necessary.) In this week’s decision, the D.C. Circuit agreed that the district court was correct in invalidating three provisions: “the rules regarding the eligible employee-voters list, the timeline for certification of election results, and election-observer eligibility.” However, the D.C. Circuit ruled that the two remaining provisions—regarding pre-election litigation of voter eligibility and the timing of the date of an election—are “‘internal house-keeping’ rules” that are exempt from notice and comment requirements.

House Republicans Seek Information From Federal Agencies. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is wasting no time exercising her authority as chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Late last week, Foxx resent to federal labor agencies a series of previous information requests that were answered while Republicans were in the House minority in 2021 and 2022. The requests include the following:

  • Letters to Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh regarding, among other issues, his involvement in various high-profile labor disputes; documents and communications relating to the development and implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) 2021 vaccine-or-test emergency temporary standard; and information surrounding the February 2022 report offered by the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, such as attendance lists, meeting minutes, rejected policy proposals, involvement of outside organizations.
  • A letter to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo regarding her April 2022 memorandum relating to employer speech. Specifically, the letter asks for information about the possible involvement of outside organizations, other agencies, and the White House, in the drafting of the memo.
  • A letter to NLRB Chair Lauren McFerran inquiring about potential conflicts of interest that Member Gwynne Wilcox and Member David Prouty may have regarding the Board’s joint employer policy.

The Buzz suspects that these letters are just the first examples of what will be at least two years of aggressive agency oversight by the committee.

DHS Announces Deferred Action for Workers Involved in Labor Investigations. Late last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new streamlined and expedited process for undocumented workers seeking deferred action as a result of their cooperation in investigations into potential violations of labor laws. The new policy further implements provisions of DHS’s October 2021 memorandum, “Worksite Enforcement: The Strategy to Protect the American Labor Market, the Conditions of the American Worksite, and the Dignity of the Individual.” According to the announcement, DHS will “provid[e] new guidance to labor agencies regarding processes to seek deferred action for certain workers” and will create a “single intake point for deferred action requests from noncitizen workers.” As such, “[t]he centralized intake process will allow DHS to efficiently review these time-sensitive requests, provide additional security to eligible workers on a case-by-case basis, and more robustly support the mission of labor agencies.”

OFCCP Proposes Changes to Complaint Intake Process. This week, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed changes to its complaint intake process. OFCCP is proposing to add a preliminary step to evaluate the timeliness of allegations, whether it has jurisdiction over a matter, and how the matter should proceed. If OFCCP determines that an investigation is warranted, it will direct the complainant to fill out a more detailed form. According to the proposal, this two-step procedure “will improve the efficiency of [OFCCP’s] complaint intake process.” Comments are due by March 20, 2023.

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.

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
  1. CE-1112: CDGP® Exam Prep – Columbia Southern University – Available On Demand
CHMM® Prep Courses
  1. Daily – CHMM® Online Review – Bowen
  2. Daily – CHMM® Prep Course – Institute of Safety & Systems Management
  3. Daily –Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM®) Exam Prep – SPAN Exam Prep, Division of ClickSafety
  4. February 7-8, 2023 – CHMM® Examination Prep Course – Online – PTP Consulting
CSHM® Prep Courses
  1. Certified Safety and Health Manager® (CSHM®) Exam Preparation Course – VUBIZ – Available on Demand

CHEMTREC, HMS Training Partner, Adds Courses for IHMM Certificants

CHEMTREC, 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.

DailyGround Transportation for CarriersChemtrecOnline
DailyOSHA Hazard Communications StandardChemtrecOnline
DailyShipping Lithium Batteries and Cells TrainingChemtrecOnline
DailyHazmat General, Safety and Security Awareness Online Training CourseChemtrecOnline
DailyIATA Dangerous Goods Online Training for OperationsChemtrecOnline
Daily49 CFR TrainingChemtrecOnline
DailyIATA Dangerous Goods Online Training for Operations PersonnelChemtrecOnline

Bowen EHS, HMS Training Partner, Adds Courses for IHMM Certificants

Bowen EHS, an HMS training partner, has had 4 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 Bowen EHS and thank to HMS’ Education and Training Committee.

Thank you Bowen EHS for contributing programs enabling IHMM certificants to engage in professional development and earn important CMPs! All three of the new Bowen EHS programs are available online and on demand.

DailyEPCRA Tier II ReportingBowen EHSOnline
DailyCHMM Online ReviewBowen EHSOnline
DailyEmergency Management Self-Paced PDCBowen EHSOnline
DailyAcute Toluene Exposure WebinarBowen EHSOnline

Thank you Bowen EHS for contributing programs enabling IHMM certificants to engage in professional development and earn important CMPs! All three of the new Bowen EHS programs are available online and on demand.

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.

  1. Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
  2. 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!

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.

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.

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.

There are 836 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 COVID issues 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! Send an email to [email protected] and tell us what conferences we should attend.

Ohio Safety Congress and Expo

Greater Columbus Convention Center

March 8-10, 2023

ASSP Greater San Jose and San Francisco Chapters Safety Symposium

San Ramon Marriott – Thank you Bart Miller for leading this effort

March 9, 2023

COSTHA Annual Forum and Expo

Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas-Frisco Hotel & Convention Center

April 30-May 24, 2023

AIHce EXP 2023

Phoenix Convention Center

May 22-24, 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-HMS EVENTS CALENDAR

IHMM has a companion organization for which education and training programs are presented and delivered.  The Hazardous Materials Society education and training website can be found here.

DateEventEvent ProducerLocation
DailyCHMM Exam Prep CourseInstitute of Safety & Systems Management

Online

DailyCE 1112- IHMM CDGP Exam Prep (online) Columbia Southern University

Online

DailyCE 1102- Industrial Hygiene for Safety Professionals (online) Columbia Southern University

Online

DailyCE 1105: Maritime Hazardous Materials Inventory Columbia Southern University

Online

DailyDOT NON-Bulk Training Compliance Associates

Online

DailyOSHA 30 Construction (Online) ClickSafety

Online

DailyHAZWOPER Refresher (Online) ClickSafety

Online

DailyHAZWOPER 40-Hour All Industries (Online) ClickSafety

Online

DailyHAZWOPER 24-Hour All Industries (Online) ClickSafety

Online

Daily8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher Course Hazmat School

Online

DailyDOT Hazmat Employee with Packaging Course Hazmat School

Online

DailyRCRA Hazardous Waste Generator Online Training Course Hazmat School

Online

DailyOSHA Asbestos Awareness TrainingHazmat School

Online

DailyCHMM Online Review Bowen

Online

DailyOnsite Lithium Battery TrainingCompliance Associates

Online

DailyOnsite ADR TrainingCompliance Associates

Online

DailyWebinar ADR TrainingCompliance Associates

Online

DailyOSHA Confined Space Operations TrainingHazmat School

Online

DailyIATA/IMDG Certification TrainingDGI

Online

DailyCSHM Exam Prep CourseVubiz

Online

DailyCSMP Exam Prep CourseVubiz

Online

DailyGround Transportation for CarriersChemtrec

Online

DailyOSHA Hazard Communications StandardChemtrec

Online

DailyShipping Lithium Batteries and Cells TrainingChemtrec

Online

DailyHazmat General, Safety and Security Awareness Online Training Course Chemtrec

Online

DailyIATA Dangerous Goods Online Training for Operations Chemtrec

Online

Daily49 CFR TrainingChemtrec

Online

DailyIATA Dangerous Goods Online Training for Operations PersonnelChemtrec

Online

DailyOnline 2-Hour OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen TrainingHazmat School

Online

DailyOnline Heat Illness Prevention TrainingHazmat School

Online

DailyOnline OSHA 24-Hour HAZWOPER Training CourseHazmat School

Online

DailyEPCRA Tier II ReportingBowen EHS

Online

DailyEHS Training Self-Paced PDCBowen EHS

Online

DailyEmergency Management Self-Paced PDCBowen EHS

Online

DailyBasic Principles of Occupational HygieneAIHA

Online

Daily

Certificate Program: Use of Direct Reading Instruments

AIHA

Online

Daily

How to Develop Creative Narrative for Better Training and Retention (AIHce EXP 2021 OnDemand)

AIHA

Online

Daily

Electrical Safe Work Practices With Application of NFPA 70E PDC Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

Is Your Safety Training Good Enough? (AIHce EXP 2021 OnDemand)

AIHA

Online

Daily

All About Leading, Lagging, and Predictive Indicators (AIHce EXP 2021 OnDemand)

AIHA

Online

Daily

Elevating EHS Leading Indicators: From Defining to Designing Webinar Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

Increasing Risk Awareness and Leveraging Risk Management to Catalyze a Culture of Learning and Health (AIHce EXP 2021 OnDemand)

AIHA

Online

Daily

Emergency Preparedness: Is the Workplace Truly Prepared for Emergencies? (AIHce EXP 2022 OnDemand)

AIHA

Online

Daily

Mitigation Through Decontamination PDC Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

SDS & Label Authoring Course

AIHA

Online

Daily

Empowering Industrial Hygienists With Systems Thinking for ISO 45001 Webinar Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

ISO 45001 OHSMS Update and Overview Webinar Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

Fire and Explosion Hazards in the Process Industries PDC Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

Decision Making in Managing Risk – Expand Context, Strengthen Skills PDC Recording

AIHA

Online

Daily

Risk Assessment Virtual Conference Recordings (2021): Introduction to Risk Assessment

AIHA

Online

Daily

Welding: An Exercise in Applied Industrial Hygiene

AIHA

Online

Daily

Response Considerations During an Outbreak or Pandemic

FEMA           Online
Daily

Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response Awareness Course

FEMA           Online
Daily

RCRA Hazardous Waste Management Online

Lion Tech

Online

Daily

RCRA Hazardous Waste Management Refresher

Lion Tech

Online

Dec 18-19, 2023 [Webinar] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification (DOT)Lion Tech

Online

Jan 4, 2024Innovative Approaches to Hands-On Fire Extinguisher Training: Unveiling the Digital AdvantageNational Safety Council

Online

Jan 8-Apr 8, 2024Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management [EHMM] CourseFET, Inc

Online

Jan 11, 2024Top 10 OSHA Injury Recordkeeping Challenges: Common Questions about the OSHA 300 LogNational Safety Council

Online

Jan 15-17, 2024Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management [EHMM] CourseAHMP Cyber Chapter

Online

Feb 1, 2024How to Understand & Apply ANSI Hand Safety StandardsNational Safety Council

Online

Mar 4-6, 2024

Lithium Battery Logistics Safety Management (LIVE virtual classroom)

IATA

Online

AFFILIATIONS

9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470
Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 | Fax: 301-984-1516

2023-01-26T22:10:40+00:00

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