Sponsored Content
Thursday, September 7, 2023
EHS Professional is an online publication of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
are compiled from independent sources and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of IHMM.
Certified Safety Management Practitioner® [CSMP®]
IHMM’s Certified Safety Management Practitioner (CSMP®) credential recognizes workplace safety and health professionals who have a less formal education but can demonstrate a mastery of workplace safety and labor law regulations earned through training and experience. Gain the trust and confidence of your colleagues and management with a CSMP® credential.
See your CSMP here
Home | IHMM Credentials | Certificants | About IHMM | Event Calendar | Archive | Advertise with IHMM
IHMM Credential Recognition
Below you will see the EHS credential badges that are now in each CSHM, CSMP, ASHM, CSSM, 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 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
St. Cloud Schools Superintendent Writes Letter Reassuring Parents
Legislature needs to clarify new school resource officer law
The Alexandria PD issues a statement regarding police officers
Back-to-school safety presentation to be held for parents, students in Centerville
Your Vote Counts: School Safety
Stakeholders stress urgency of workforce issues at tech conference
As US labor demand cools, construction is still hot
Keep an Eye on your Eye Health at Work
SFS Fall Protection Network to Raise the Bar on Worker Safety
Preventable Injury Puts Seasonal Worker Safety in Focus
Louisiana-Pacific Wins Dismissal of OSHA Worker Safety Charge
Workers Pay the Price While Congress and Employers Debate Need for Heat Regulations
SBCC Student Identified in Fatal Isla Vista Cliff Fall Over Labor Day Weekend
Speak Up, Speak Out School Safety Hotline Runs Out of Money in 2024
PPS and PPD Working Together to Ensure School Safety
What Does OSHA Do?
Effingham Fire Department Given OSHA SHARP Award
OSHA’s Handling of State Covid Relief Plan Draws Watchdog Rebuke
California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Bill Passes Assembly Appropriations Committee with New Amendments
New Report Highlights Hidden Crisis for Women’s Workplace Health
OSHA Urges Hazard Awareness in Wake of Hurricane Idalia
Cleaning Up in the Porta-Potty Business
Improving Sleep Quality for Better Health
Why Construction Management Needs AI
New Door-Locking System Increases NYC Public School Safety
Back 2 School: Experts Share Internet Safety Tips for Parents & Kids
DOC Ignores Workers’ Pleas for Increased Safety Measures, Prison Takeover Ensues
What’s driving construction technology spending in 2023 and 2024?
INSIDE IHMM
There are 1,052 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]
IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Beltway Buzz – Ogletree Deakins
DOL Proposes Changes to Overtime Regulations. On August 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it would issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the regulations implementing the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The effort represents another swing of the partisan pendulum, as this is the third administration in a row to propose changes to these regulations. In 2016, the Obama administration increased the salary basis threshold to $47,476 per year, but the regulation was enjoined and then struck down by a federal court as contrary to congressional intent. The Trump administration followed with its own overtime rule changes, which set the salary threshold at the current $35,568 per year. This week’s proposal:
- Sets the salary basis to the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage census region. This translates to a salary basis of $55,068 per year ($1,059 per week)—a 55 percent increase. However, because this is not a firm numerical figure but is instead based on evolving data, the proposal notes that this threshold level could change, and perhaps climb as high as $60,209 per year ($1,158 per week) in just the first quarter of 2024.
- Increases the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees from $107,432 per year to $143,988 per year, based on annualized weekly earnings amount of the 85th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally.
- Automatically updates the salary basis threshold every three years.
The DOL is not proposing to change the duties test.
Comments are due sixty days after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register. Any final rule likely will not issue until 2024 and will undoubtedly be subject to multiple legal challenges. Keith E. Kopplin and Lee E. Tankle have the details.
OSHA Looks to Resuscitate Failed “Walkaround” Effort. On August 30, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a proposed rule, titled, “Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process.” The proposal attempts to codify a controversial interpretation set forth in a 2013 letter that was subsequently withdrawn. Under this week’s proposal, outside third-party employee representatives may accompany OSHA compliance safety and health officers during workplace inspections if they have “relevant knowledge, skills, or experience with hazards or conditions in the workplace or similar workplaces.” According to the proposal, third parties may include a “representative from a worker advocacy group, community organization, or labor union.” Comments are due on October 30, 2023. John D. Surma and Savannah M. Selvaggio have the details.
NLRB Update. So much for a sleepy August at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as decisions continue to pour out of the agency with the expiration of Member Gwynne Wilcox’s term. Here is the latest:
- Card check. Thomas M. Stanek and Zachary V. Zagger have the details on the Board decision last week that dramatically tilts the workplace representation process in favor of labor unions. The new test requires an employer to recognize a union when presented with authorization cards unless the employer affirmatively asks the Board to conduct a secret-ballot election. If the employer asks for an election and subsequently commits an unfair labor practice, the Board can order the employer to recognize the union. When combined with the return of both “ambush” elections and the “federal employee-handbook police” (as the dissent put it in a 2022 Board decision), it is clear that the new representation process is designed to boost unions’ sagging membership numbers in the wake of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act’s failure in the U.S. Congress.
- Adverse employment actions and union animus. In a decision released on August 28, 2023, the Board clarified its Wright Line standard for determining whether an adverse employment action was motivated by an employee’s protected activity. In dissent, Member Marvin Kaplan argued that it was unnecessary for the majority to revisit Wright Line, and he noted that “general hostility toward a union is insufficient to demonstrate that employee protected activity was a ‘motivating factor’ in a specific adverse action taken by an employer.”
- Expanded protected concerted activity. In another case, the Board expanded the definition of “concerted,” indicating that actions by a single employee may be “concerted” when the “employee’s conduct sought to initiate, induce, or prepare for group action, or was related to group action.” Member Kaplan disagreed with the majority’s assertion that “concerted activity can be established by protected activity taken without the requisite intent toward group action.”
- Wilcox departs, but senator wants assurances. As the Buzz mentioned last week, Gwynne Wilcox ended her term as a member of the NLRB on August 27, 2023. The Board is now down to three members: Chair Lauren McFerran and David Prouty are the remaining Democrats, while Marvin Kaplan continues to serve as the sole Republican. But due to the fact that Wilcox’s renomination has been teed up for a post-Labor Day vote in the U.S. Senate, Senator Bill Cassidy, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), wants to ensure that Wilcox is no longer on the Board. In a letter dated August 28, 2023, Senator Cassidy wrote to Chair McFerran seeking “assurances the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) has terminated [Wilcox’s] employment appropriately and is following all separation protocols for a federal appointee whose term has expired.” The letter goes on to ask McFerran whether Wilcox has been inappropriately moved to an advisory position at the Board, and whether she still has access to Board facilities, computers, emails systems, and the like. The letter is indicative of the political importance of the Board.
Labor Department Proposes New Overtime Salary Threshold
More than 3 million workers would be newly eligible for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week, under a new proposal from the U.S. Department of Labor. However, the suggested change is likely to face legal challenges.
On August 30, the Biden administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the Department of Labor to extend overtime pay eligibility to more than 3 million workers.
The initiative comes following a similar attempt by the Obama administration over eight years ago to revise overtime eligibility regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the new proposal, employers would be required to provide time-and-a-half pay for eligible workers who work beyond 40 hours per week. The previous threshold for this requirement set in 2019 by the Trump administration—$35,568—would be increased to $55,000.
National Preparedness Month and Worker Safety and Health Resources
Following the catastrophic impact of the Maui wildfires and natural disasters that have occurred in other parts of the U.S., we want to remind everyone that September is National Preparedness Month and that OSHA has an Emergency Preparedness and Response webpage that provides information to protect workers responding to hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters. For you convenience, I’ve attached OSHA’s Worker Safety and Health Resources for Hurricane and Flood Cleanup and Recovery and OSHA’s Fact Sheet: Keeping Workers Safe During Disaster Cleanup and Recovery (both found on OSHA’s webpage here). Please note that many of the OSHA materials are available in Spanish, along with a few Public Service Announcements that have been recorded and transcribed. Please share this information, as appropriate, with your stakeholders, including those who may be cleanup and recovery employers, workers, and volunteers.
For questions about these resources, please contact Christopher Lawver [(202) 693-1985 or [email protected]] or Bill Matarazzo [(202) 693-2160 or [email protected]].
Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process Notice of Proposed Rule Making
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today posted for public inspection a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process, that was officially published on August 30, 2023, which proposes OSHA to amend its representatives of Employers and Employees regulation to clarify that the representative(s) authorized by employees may be an employee of employer or third party.
OSHA has preliminarily determined that the proposed changes will add OSHA’s workplace inspections by enabling employees to select a representative of their choice to accompany the CSHO during a physical workplace inspection. Employee representative during the inspection is important to ensuring OSHA obtain the necessary information about worksite condition and hazards.
Individuals may submit comments identified by Docket No. OSHA-2023-0008, electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. The deadline for submitting comments is 60 days from the official publication of the Federal Register Notice. For more information, please see Federal Register Notice and the OSHA’s New Release.
Professional Certification Coalition
IHMM is a member of the PCC. The PCC monitors state and federal legislative and regulatory activity affecting professional certification on an ongoing basis. The PCC has compiled several “Watchlists” identifying and analyzing provisions in pending legislation at both the state and federal level that, under applicable rules, may still be enacted in the current legislative session. Depending on the carry-over rules in the relevant legislature, the charts listing current legislation may include bills introduced in a prior year. In addition, the PCC compiles each year a chart of enacted legislation that affects certification. The charts include hyperlinks to every bill or executive order. Note that the Watchlist and the Enacted Legislation document do not include profession-specific legislation and do not include regulatory initiatives. The charts will be updated as needed based on new developments.
IHMM Organizing Broader Government Affairs Activities
In strategic planning on August 17, 2023 IHMM created a strategic imperative to create a broader government affairs operation on behalf of, and with the assistance of, IHMM’s certificants.
On August 29, 2023 IHMM’s Executive Director made a presentation of this strategic imperative to the AHMP annual conference. Here is what IHMM intends to organize over the next few months:
Federal Government – Regulatory. We need a group of people watching Federal regulatory developments to advise when taking action can be helpful and raise our visibility in the agencies.
Federal Government – Congress. We need a group of people watching legislation to advise us when taking action can be helpful and raise our visibility in Congress.
State Governments – Regulatory. We need a group of people watching state regulatory developments to advise when taking action can be helpful and raise our visibility in the agencies.
State Governments – Legislatures. We need a group of people watching legislation to advise us when taking action can be helpful and raise our visibility in state legislatures.
The full presentation may be viewed here.
IHMM Credential Recognition
The highest priority of IHMM’s Government Affairs Committee is the recognition of IHMM’s credentials by government. We have made substantial progress in the two years we have undertaken this endeavor, as outlined in detail here > https://ihmm.org/credential-recognition/
In this project we have 45-in-5, increasing the number of states that recognize IHMM credentials.
- 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 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
SLC 2023 Preview: Building Culture Through Ergonomics
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD)s are common workplace injuries, but they don’t have to be. Learn what it takes to tackle those soft-tissue injuries, so your employees are healthier, happier and more productive.
Companies don’t want to be a pain in employees’ necks. Or, for that matter, for their employees to have pains in their necks, backs, arms or feet.
But unfortunately, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are an incredibly common part of the job. About 1.8 million workers report MSDs each year, and about 600,000 of those workers take time off as a result. It’s a costly problem, but it’s one with known solutions, which is perhaps what makes the prevalence of MSDs that much more concerning.
Addressing MSDs involves tackling the underlying issues that lead to those injuries in the first place. It’s not easy. Implementing an effective ergonomics program takes trust, buy-in and commitment. Still, the efforts are worth the results, says Wendy Mayes, EHS administrator at Hallmark Cards.
Mayes will be speaking at the Safety Leadership Conference, being held from September 18-20 in Orlando, Florida, about how Hallmark’s work with GSC On-Site, an ergonomics consulting service, has helped to reduce MSDs and advance their safety program.
More information about the conference, including registration, can be found at www.safetyleadershipconference.com. Below is a preview of what to expect from Mayes’ presentation.
Read more by clicking here.
Addressing an Overlooked Danger
Why current helmet standards must be updated to account for rotational motion, a key cause of concussions.
Those in the construction industry are responsible for building the places where we spend our lives, but they continue to face some of the greatest risks on the job. In the U.S. construction industry alone, a total of 21,400 non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses were caused by slips, trips and falls in 2020. These types of accidents can lead not only to severe injuries but fatalities as well: Between 2003 and 2008, one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities caused by a traumatic brain injury (TBI) was falls at 29 percent.
While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that head protection must be worn by employees at risk of head injury from impact, falling objects, electrical shock, or burns, construction workers are still at risk while on the job. Furthermore, where you work can have an impact on your safety as well. Workers at small construction companies with 20 employees or less are over 2.5 times more likely than those in larger companies to experience fatal TBIs.
Read more by clicking here.
READOUT: Department of Labor Joins Boston Ironworkers for Roundtable Discussion on Importance of Mental Health in the Construction Trades
Leaders of the U.S. Department of Labor convened yesterday in Boston for a roundtable discussion on the importance of mental health friendly workplaces, particularly in the building trades. The event was held at the Iron Workers Local 7 Union Hall.
The discussion highlighted the union local’s practices to promote workers’ mental health, part of the administration’s national strategy to transform mental health care and address the nation’s mental health care crisis. The roundtable also included leaders from New England-area unions and members, building contractors, and experts in substance use disorders and their prevention and treatment.
The department’s Deputy Chief of Staff John Towle, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker, Principal Deputy Secretary for Employee Benefits Security Ali Khawar and Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams participated in the discussion.
Read more by clicking here.
The ‘Five S’ System for Facility Safety
How these straightforward and easy-to-implement solutions can keep your facility safe and efficient.
How easy is it for your employees to properly store equipment after they use it? If it’s not easy — for example, if there’s always clutter around the wall attachments where extension ladders are meant to be secured — at least some of the team will just lean them against the wall.
At one auto dealership I worked with, that’s exactly what happened. An extension ladder was leaning against a wall, and when an employee went to replace an air hose, he knocked the ladder down and ended up needing 17 stitches.
So how can you create a workplace where proper safety behavior is the default? And how can you do that not only when it comes to storing ladders but also cleaning spills, stacking equipment, replacing hoses, and so on?
Read more by clicking here.
Women in safety face six common career challenges, researcher says
Leadership training and organizational support may help bolster the well-being and careers of women in safety leadership positions, according to a researcher from Western Kentucky University.
Jacqueline Basham, a WKU instructor and associate safety professional, interviewed 15 female safety leaders to find out what career challenges they face and identify potential interventions that could be used to increase the number of females working in the industry.
She found six common barriers:
- Work hours and travel required
- Lack of formal education in safety before career began
- Low number of women in the industry
- Frequently having authority questioned on the job
- The notion that the industry is not for women
- Being perceived as young and inexperienced augmenting feelings of frustration around the job
Read more by clicking here.
US Department of Labor Files Suit Against Minnesota IT Company For Not Remitting Employee’s Retirement Plan Contributions
The Secretary of Labor filed a lawsuit on Aug. 30, 2023, after the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration found the Edina, Minnesota, technology consulting company and its CEO Suman Thotakura failed to remit $45,972 in employees’ voluntary salary contributions and $759 in participant loan repayments to the Virtual Matrix 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan from April 1, 2021 to Oct. 31, 2022, a violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Filed in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, the complaint seeks to make the plan whole and permanently ban the company and its CEO from serving or acting as fiduciaries or service providers to any other ERISA-covered employee benefit plan and to remove them from fiduciary positions they now hold.
Employers and workers can reach EBSA toll-free at 866-444-3272 for help with problems related to private sector retirement and health plans. Learn more about EBSA.
Read more by clicking here.
Fall Protection An Ongoing Conversation
How can employers develop a comprehensive training program and instilling a safety culture to prevent slips and falls?
Preventing slips and falls is a high priority across industries because they are both dangerous and preventable. In 2020, according to the National Safety Council, 805 workers died from falls. In addition, more than 210,000 were injured so badly that they were forced to take time off from work. These injuries are expensive, costing the nation billions in medical expenses, workers’ compensation, and litigation.
On the other hand, safe conditions are good for productivity. When employees can plant their feet on the floor – without worrying they might start skating across it – they can move more confidently and focus on their jobs.
In a perfect world, companies could set up a single, two-hour training program that would educate their employees and new hires about safety. While these safety seminars are certainly valuable, they don’t get the job done on their own. Without daily reinforcement, training is often forgotten in the hustle of our daily work.
Read more by clicking here.
So You Think You Know a Lot about OSHA? (Quiz)
Time for another quiz to see how much you know about the latest rules, regulations and news from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Take the quiz by clicking here.
Texas can’t take away workers’ water breaks, judge rules
A Texas judge has struck down a recently signed state law that would prevent local municipalities and counties from mandating water breaks for workers.
Passed by the Texas legislature in May and originally scheduled to go into effect Sept. 1, H.B. 2127 would have allowed the state to preempt certain local and county laws, including those aimed at preventing heat-related illnesses and injuries.
In June, the City of Houston filed suit against the state, contending the law is unconstitutional. On Aug. 30, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled that the law “in its entirety is unconstitutional – facially, and as applied to Houston as a constitutional home rule city.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) said in a press release: “I am thrilled that Houston, our legal department and sister cities were able to obtain this victory for Texas cities. H.B. 2127 was a power grab by the Legislature and an unwarranted and unconstitutional intrusion into local power granted to Houston and other home rule cities by the Texas Constitution.”
Read more by clicking here.
Continued Innovation: OH&S 15th Annual New Product of the Year Contestants
Here are the product entrants in the 2023 edition of Occupational Health & Safety’s annual product contest.
At OH&S, our coverage of the safety and health industry keeps employers and workers alike informed about the latest news and developments that directly affects their lives. But in the process, we are also uniquely positioned to witness the industry’s evolution in real time. Our New Product of the Year contest is one of the best opportunities we have to do just that.
For 15 years now, OH&S has been celebrating innovation and ingenuity in the safety and health industry through the New Product of the Year contest. And the turnout for the 2023 edition is truly a testament to how committed industry professionals are to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and identifying fresh, inventive ways to keep workers safe while on the job.
Read more by clicking here.
Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Su on August Jobs Report
Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on the August 2023 Employment Situation report:
“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 187,000 jobs, an indication that the economy continues its strong and steady growth as we return to normal following the breakneck pace of our rapid recovery. Solid increases in health care and social assistance, along with continued gains in construction and manufacturing, also reflect broad economic growth across different sectors.
“As more people entered the labor market looking for work, the labor force participation rate increased to a post-pandemic recovery high of 62.8 percent. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 3.8 percent from 3.5 percent in July because more people saw an opportunity to work, and they started looking for a job. This is another sign of the optimism that people are feeling about this economy—they’re not sitting on the sidelines….”
Read more by clicking here.
Young employees ‘need more protections’ against workplace violence: researchers
Three out of 5 young employees have experienced some form of workplace violence, results of a recent study show.
Researchers from three universities analyzed survey results from more than 1,000 workers between the ages of 14 and 24. Sixty percent of respondents said they’d experienced workplace violence, with verbal abuse (53%) the most common. In addition, 24% reported having experienced sexual harassment.
Other findings:
- Female employees were more likely to experience workplace violence and sexual harassment, while their male counterparts were more likely to experience verbal abuse.
- Workplace violence was most common in health care and food services.
- Customer service workers reported the highest frequency of workplace violence.
Read more by clicking here.
As the Temperature Rises, Employer Obligations Rise Too
OSHA is focused on this issue and on August 30, released a “Regulatory Framework” to outline potential options for the elements of a future OSHA standard.
Across the country, companies are learning they need to ensure employees working both inside and out are adequately protected from heat-related risks. Earlier in the summer, OSHA issued the first-ever Hazard Alert for heat to remind employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury in outdoor and indoor workplaces. The alert accompanied an announcement that OSHA would be ramping up enforcement of heat-safety violations and increasing inspections in high-risk industries.
While in the past focus on heat-safety violations may have been limited to the construction and agriculture industries, OSHA is now equally focused on heat-safety violations found in indoor work environments, such as manufacturing facilities. This expanded focus includes the manufacturing and warehouse industries. OSHA emphasized this focus in April 2022 when it established a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Outdoor and Indoor Heat Hazards that, in part, focused on the manufacturing and warehouse industries. OSHA has also been conducting an annual heat awareness campaign for the last decade and in 2022, began its heat enforcement program.
Read more by clicking here.
The Dr. John H. Frick Memorial IHMM Scholarship Program
The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management is pleased to have created $32,000 in academic scholarships, divided equally between $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student CHMMs, and $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student ASHMs.
IHMM seeks to foster the growth and academic success of students whose courses of education, and participation in one of our Student certifications, will lead to those students becoming fully-certified IHMM credential holders later in their professional lives.
Go to > https://ihmm.org/scholarship/
IHMM 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.
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
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 Jimmy Nguyen at [email protected] and he’ll be happy to help you.
National Safety Council
IHMM is a member of the National Safety Council and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants.
NSC News
FMCSA to study impact of detention time on trucker safety
The leading cause of oil and gas worker deaths? Motor vehicles
Texas can’t take away workers’ water breaks, judge rules
Annual ‘Roadcheck’ spotlights out-of-service vehicle and driver violations
Study links shift work to cognitive impairment
FAA issues alert on protecting ground crew workers
NSC Webinars
Sept 14 – How to Become a Better Safety Leader
Sept 21 – NFPA 70e Standard Updates
Sept 28 – General Industry’s 10 Most Frequently Cited Serious Violations: How to Avoid Being ‘One of Those Companies’ OSHA Cites
IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants.
ASSP News
ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45001-2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Requirements with Guidance for Use
Q&A: What the Updated Z359.2 Standard Means for Managed Fall Protection Systems
Episode 114: Tips for Improving Ergonomics Through Better Design, Innovation and Collaboration
Q&A: Using OSHA Consultation to Improve Your Safety and Health Management System
5 Emerging Technologies in Ergonomics and Why They Matter
Optimizing Contractor Safety Management
Episode 113: AR/FR Clothing and Heat Stress: Staying Protected While Staying Cool
ASSP Webinars
Sept 13 – Risk Intervention Strategies in Contractor Safety Management
Sept 14 – Legal Framework and Workplace Best Practices for Infectious Disease Including COVID-19
Sept 15 – Planning and Management of Pandemics and Other Infectious Diseases
Sept 18/19 – Prevention through Design
Sept 18-20 – Safety Management I
Sept 19/20 – Advanced Safety Management Methods
ASSP Standards News
The U.S. TAG to ANSI for ISO TC283 approved ISO 45002 and ISO 45006 as ANSI registered technical reports.
- ISO/ASSP TR 45002-2023: Occupational health and safety management systems – General guidelines for the implementation of ISO 45001:2018
- ISO/ASSP TR 45006-2023: Occupational health and safety management – Guidelines for organizations on preventing and managing infectious diseases
At this point, the adoption process is complete. We will conclude limited public review and then move forward with publication of ISO 45002 and ISO 45006 as an ANSI Registered Technical Report[s].
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.
Lion Tech, HMS Training Partner, Adds Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification [DOT] Training
This week Lion Tech has added its Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification [DOT] Training to the HMS Daily Training schedule. This two-day workshop provides comprehensive training to offer hazardous materials for transportation in compliance with the US DOT/PHMSA Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). The two-day workshop is approved for 12.50 CM Points toward IHMM re-certification.
| Daily | Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification (DOT) Training | Lion Tech Online |
| Sept 13-14, 2023 | [Los Angeles] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Los Angeles, CA |
| Sept 20-21, 2023 | [San Jose, CA] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | San Jose, CA |
| Oct 4-5, 2023 | [Chicago, IL] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Chicago, IL |
| Oct 18-19, 2023 | [St. Louis, MO] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | St. Louis, MO |
| Oct 25-26, 2023 | [Atlanta, GA] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Atlanta, GA |
| Nov 8-9, 2023 | [Charlotte, NC] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Charlotte, NC |
| Dec 4-5, 2023 | [Houston, TX] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Houston, TX |
| Dec 6-7, 2023 | [Philadelphia, PA] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Philadelphia, PA |
| Dec 13-14, 2023 | [Hartford, CT] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Hartford, CT |
| Dec 14-15, 2023 | [Dallas, TX] Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Training (DOT) | Dallas, TX |
CHEMTREC, HMS Training Partner, Adds Courses for IHMM Certificants
This week CHEMTREC has added its HAZWOPER 8-hour Refresher Training to the HMS Daily Training schedule. This HAZWOPER 8-hour Refresher Training is designed for individuals who need to refresh their existing 24-hour or 40-hour HAZWOPER certification. This course meets the requirements outlined in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 for 8 (eight) hours of annual refresher training for workers involved in the transport, storage, or handling of hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
See the CHEMTREC HAZWOPER 8-hour Refresher Training here!
CHEMTREC, an HMS training partner, has had 7 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. Thank you CHEMTREC, and thank to HMS’ Education and Training Committee.
AIHA, HMS Training Partner, Adds Courses for IHMM Certificants
American Industrial Hygiene Association [AIHA] an HMS training partner, has added its first of many courses approved in advance for earning IHMM recertification certification maintenance points. We are pleased to promote these programs in support of IHMM certificants holding the CHMM, CHMP, CSHM, and CSMP credentials. Thank you, AIHA.
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.
| Daily | EPCRA Tier II Reporting | Bowen EHS | Online |
| Daily | CHMM Online Review | Bowen EHS | Online |
| Daily | Emergency Management Self-Paced PDC | Bowen EHS | Online |
| Daily | Acute Toluene Exposure Webinar | Bowen EHS | Online |
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.
Respiratory Protection Program Management – Susan Harwood Training Grant
University of Texas Medical Branch, William J. Pate, CHMM
This training course is intended to educate participants on the requirements of developing and implementing a compliant Respiratory Protection Program. The focus of this course will be on topics related to preparation for an infectious disease pandemic. At the end of this training the attendee should be able to:
1) Manage an effective respiratory protection program through proficient application of 29 CFR 1910.134
2) Compare potential routes of exposure
3) Identify and implement potential controls (engineering, administrative, and PPE)
4) List the equipment needed to support fit testing
5) Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative fit testing
6) Discuss the different types of respiratory protection available
7) Demonstrate correct donning/doffing of respiratory protection
This training course is 7.5 hours and participants will receive a certificate of completion that may be suitable for professional certification maintenance (CSP, CIH, CHMM, CHSP, etc.).
This course will provide 7.5 Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) contact hours. Accreditation statement: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is approved with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by Louisiana State Nurses Association – Approver, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. LSNA Provider No. 4002176
This training is available only to employees and employers who are subject to OSHA regulatory requirements. Grant-funded training is not available to state or local government employees unless they have occupational safety & health responsibilities (e.g. occupational safety and health trainers, program managers, committee members, or employees responisble for abating unsafe and unhealthy working conditions for their organization). Registration in this course confirms that meet these conditions. This training will include the opportunity to don, doff, and fit test respiratory protection including N95, half-face, full-face, and powered air-purifying respirators. Anyone participating in this training and wanting to put on a respirator agrees that they have been medically cleared by their employer to do so in accordance with OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard.
The 8-hour training program is offered at various dates from March through September. For more information and registration for this FREE program go here >> https://www.utmb.edu/ehs/programs/radiation-occupational-safety-program/RPPSHTG2023
Easily Find Courses to Help You Pass IHMM Credential Exams
CDGP® Prep Course
CE-1112: CDGP® Exam Prep – Columbia Southern University – Available On Demand
CHMM® Prep Courses
Daily – CHMM® Online Review – Bowen
Daily – CHMM® Prep Course – Institute of Safety & Systems Management
Daily –Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM®) Exam Prep – SPAN Exam Prep, Division of ClickSafety
CSHM® Prep Courses
CSMP® Prep Courses
HMS Makes Finding Courses to Earn CMPs Easy
Every year more than 1,600 IHMM certificants have to recertify their credentials, evidenced their continuing commitment to improvement and learning to elevate their professional credential.
Earning Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs] is illustrated under Recertification of Your Credential, that includes the Recertification Claims Manual – Appendix A, that details all of the ways a certificant may earn CMPs > https://ihmm.org/recertification-claims/
Having mastered that manual, how does an IHMM certificant find courses to earn CMPs?
HMS has made that simple and easy.
- Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
- Scroll down until you see a row of buttons…click on the CMPs button
The system will then generate all of the courses on the HMS E&T platform with IHMM CMPs already attached.
The next developments by the HMS E&T committee will refine available courses’ CMPs by individual credential!
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 CSHM 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 CSHM prep courses may be found and chosen.
If you want your prep courses on the HMS platform so it can be found by IHMM credential applicants, contact Gene Guilford at [email protected]
Applications for the 2023 HMS Scholarship Awards Now Open
The HMS scholarship award is given annually to undergraduate and graduate students whose academic program and research studies have the potential to address the most serious issues in handling hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environmental issues, health & safety challenges. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled in accredited U.S. academic institutions.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD APPLICATIONS IS December 1, 2023. All submissions and associated materials must be submitted using the online form.
Scholarship Winners Will Be Announced at the HMS Annual Meeting.
For More Information, Visit > https://hazmatsociety.org/scholarship/
Donate to HMS
One of the most important projects of the Hazardous Materials Society is our Scholarship Program.
HMS wants to make it as easy as possible for those who cannot always afford to participate in pursuing certification, or keeping up with professional development, or attending great conferences and receiving outstanding training. HMS does not solicit contributions from the general public. HMS does ask IHMM’s certificants and their companies and our education and training vendors to consider a contribution.
Here, through your generosity, you can make a difference in promoting the ability of those who can afford it least to become participants in our communities of practice.
It’s never too late to make a difference, so don’t let this opportunity to make a difference pass you by. Please consider a tax-deductible donation of $250, $500 or what you can to help build HMS’s effort to help others in our communities of practice.
RCM&D Professional Liability Insurance
HMS is proud to have partnered with RCM&D to be able to offer an outstanding comprehensive professional liability insurance program to IHMM certificants. Here, you will find information about this important program offering Environmental Consultants and Engineers Professional Liability coverage. This coverage is intended to add protection for loss stemming from actual or alleged negligent acts, errors and omissions in performing professional services.
For more information see > https://hazmatsociety.org/professional-liability-insurance/
Member Benefits of Hazardous Materials Society
99% of IHMM certificants are aware of the Hazardous Materials Society, which we appreciate. IHMM established the Hazardous Materials Society in order to support and provide services to IHMM certificants.
Did You Know?
Your company’s membership dues for Associate Membership in the Hazardous Materials Society (HMS) are 100% tax-deductible and your participation directly supports scholarship and education/training opportunities for professionals working in hazmat and EHS. Joining as an Associate Member expresses your commitment and your company’s leadership in giving back to our professional community. Join today to claim your tax deduction for the 2020 tax year while expressing your company’s professional affiliation and accessing tools for your marketing and business development plans.
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.
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.
National Safety Council Congress & Expo
New Orleans, LA
October 23-25, 2023
Come Visit Us in Booth #1015!!
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.
9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470
Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 | Fax: 301-984-1516