Proud to Stand With Our Military
You’ve learned some special skills while serving our country. As you consider your options after the service, now is the time to consider a private certification that respects your skills and sends a strong signal to private sector employers about the skills you have and how those skills translate into civilian life.IHMM participates in the military service branch’s Credential Online [COOL] program to help you. Check these DoD sites for your branch and how we can work with you to make the very most of your transition to civilian life. Visit these sites for more information that benefits You. You earned it.
If you require any assistance from IHMM please contact James E. Drosdak [USAF] at [email protected]
EHS Professional is an on-line publication of IHMM
Phone: 301-984-8969 | [email protected]
Thursday, September 17, 2020
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.
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IHMM UPDATES
Kryterion Test Centers Slowly Reopening: Latest Testing Center Updates
About 60% of KTN testing centers, closed temporarily due to COVID-19, have re-opened with reduced capacity or testing schedules in order to comply with local health guidelines. A list of currently open centers can be found here: test-center-locator page, You can find a daily, updated list of closed test centers here.
Self-Rescheduling a Test Center (KTN) or Online Proctored (OLP) Exam
If you’re scheduled for an upcoming KTN or OLP exam and wish to change the location, date and/or time, please self-reschedule your exam through your Webassessor candidate portal. You’ll find the easy, simple steps for self-rescheduling here.
IHMM Excellence in EHS Management Award
Each year IHMM is proud to recognizer the outstanding achievements and distinction of the CSHM, CSMP, or ASHM that has made a worthy contribution to the communities of practice and the profession.
This award is usually given at the annual National Safety Council Congress.
Nominations begin in May and end of December 2020 for just this year as the National Safety Council has moved their 2021 Congress and Expo to March of 2021, and IHMM will make this award there.
Here are past honorees: https://ihmm.org/past-honorees/.
Please see this nomination form to make your nominations for this prestigious award: https://ihmm.org/ehs-management-award/.
OSHA National Safety Stand-Down – September 14-18, 2020
OSHA National Safety Stand-Down – September 14-18, 2020Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2018 (BLS data). Those deaths were preventable. The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.
Learn more about how you can participate in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction by going here.
One-Stop Stand-Down Shop
In order to make participating in the Stand-Down as easy as possible, we’ve gathered some of our top resources in one location. Everything you need to conduct a stand-down is below – whether it’s for one day or the whole week.
Virtual Participation
Standing Down for Fall Safety in 2020: Ideas for Virtual or Socially Distanced Stand-Down Events
New Podcast: 7th Annual Safety Stand-Down Event
In Episode 4 of CPWR: Construction Safety and Health, Dr. G. Scott Earnest, Associate Director for Construction, Office of Construction Safety and Health at NIOSH, discusses the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction and its landmark Safety Stand-Down event. The 7th annual Stand-Down takes place nationwide September 14- 18, 2020. This year may look different due to COVID-19, but CPWR, NIOSH, and OSHA have plenty of ideas for participating virtually or at a safe social distance.
HMS Education and Training
Hazardous Materials Society now has 14,080 education and training programs on its website https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/ with more coming every week. Certificants will note that most of these programs carry a CMP value, making it easier to know in advance what to expect.
This is the center of education and training for IHMM certificants and prospective certificants. Among these more than 10.000 programs are webinars delivered online and virtually all carry IHMM CMPs values with them for your annual / 5-year CMP planning.
IHMM certificants take advantage of HMS Partnership with Columbia Southern
Columbia Southern University is one of the 24 partners of the Hazardous Materials Society, providing an outstanding array of graduate and undergraduate degree programs, webinars, and soon…programs designed specifically for IHMM certificants and all delivered online.
Thanks to the HMS partnership with Columbia Southern, all IHMM certificants receive important tuition discounts.
You can learn more about the IHMM/HMS partnership with Columbia Southern here.
U.S. Technical Advisory Group [TAG] on ISO 45000
Tom Slavin, CSHM, is our representative on the US technical advisory group (TAG) to ISO 45000. The primary activity of the committee was the development of the ISO 45001 standard on safety and health management systems. That standard activity is quiet now until it comes up for revision/reapproval in a couple of years. In the meantime, there are several other committee activities that we thought you should be aware of:
- An implementation guide for ISO 45001 is being developed.
- A small business guide for ISO 45001 is being developed.
- ISO 45003 on the management of psychosocial stress is under development.
- This new activity on safe work in pandemics is being introduced.
IHMM Thanks Tom and the TAG for all of its work developing this technical advisory group and everyone may learn more about this important effort here.
Safe Actions for Employee Returns: Playbooks
SAFER: Safe Actions for Employee Returns is a comprehensive initiative to guide employers through the process of safely resuming traditional work and operations now and in a post-quarantine environment. SAFER was created by the National Safety Council, in partnership with Fortune 500 companies, leading safety organizations and public health experts.
These general and sector-specific playbooks are designed to help America’s employers align worker safety with business objectives, as laid out in the SAFER Framework. These documents were updated June 8 with more fine-tuned language across many of the topic areas, including buildings, facilities and operations, as well as physical distancing. Also included are more detailed recommendations for stress, emotional and mental health, and communication strategies.
Read more >> https://www.nsc.org/work-safety/safety-topics/safe-actions-for-employee-returns-safer/safer-playbooks
OSHA – Whistleblower Stakeholder Meeting
OSHA – Whistleblower Stakeholder MeetingThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is announcing a public meeting to solicit comments and suggestions from stakeholders on issues facing the agency in the administration of the whistleblower laws it enforces.
Read more >> https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/15/2020-20305/whistleblower-stakeholder-meeting
It’s Not Too Late!
This is a final reminder to please download your Safe + Sound Week certificate and challenge coin to recognize your participation and show your dedication to safety and health programs. Thank you for your suppo
rt!
10 Ways to Get Your Program Started
Safe + Sound Week may be over, but safety is ongoing and continuous. Implementing a meaningful safety and health program takes dedicated planning, but even incremental improvements are valuable. If you are not quite ready to implement a complete safety and health program, the 10 Ways to Get Your Program Started document provides simple steps you can use to build your safety and health program.
IHMM ASHM Credential Adds Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona
IHMM Executive Director Eugene Guilford and ASHM Committee Chair Jan Rosenberg are pleased to announce that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, and its B.S. in Safety Management and its M.S. in Occupational Safety Management has been approved to be added to the Associate Safety and Health Manager [ASHM] credential program.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Embry-Riddle and its graduates in strengthening their career path. IHMM’s Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM ®) credential recognize professionals who are recent Bachelor’s degree graduates with a focus in health and safety-related fields. This credential puts the holder on the fast-track to the CSHM credential. With ASHM® on your resume, you tell employers you’re serious about a career in EHS Management.
With the addition of Embry-Riddle/Daytona, the ASHM committee has added 7 new colleges and universities to the ASHM program in the past two months. Well done all!
Study explores frontline health care worker risk during early days of COVID-19 pandemic
Study explores frontline health care worker risk during early days of COVID-19 pandemicBoston — Employers in the health care industry need to ensure adequate availability of personal protective equipment and develop additional strategies to protect their frontline workers from COVID-19, a team of researchers has concluded after finding that health care workers in the United States and United Kingdom were at least three times more likely than the general public to report being infected – even after accounting for other risk factors – during the first several weeks of the pandemic. Read more from Safety & Health >> https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20286-study-explores-frontline-health-care-worker-risk-during-early-days-of-covid-19-pandemic
Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has spread from China to many other countries around the world, including the United States. Depending on the severity of COVID-19’s international impacts, outbreak conditions—including those rising to the level of a pandemic—can affect all aspects of daily life, including travel, trade, tourism, food supplies, and financial markets. To reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak conditions on businesses, workers, customers, and the public, it is important for all employers to plan now for COVID-19. For employers who have already planned for influenza pandemics, planning for COVID-19 may involve updating plans to address the specific exposure risks, sources of exposure, routes of transmission, and other unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., compared to pandemic influenza viruses).
Employers who have not prepared for pandemic events should prepare themselves and their workers as far in advance as possible of potentially worsening outbreak conditions. Lack of continuity planning can result in a cascade of failures as employers attempt to address challenges of COVID-19 with insufficient resources and workers who might not be adequately trained for jobs they may have to perform under pandemic conditions.
Read more from OSHA >> https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
COVID-19: Sampling Approaches for Healthy Buildings – Free Webinar
Golder’s EHS Professionals will discuss the various sampling approaches to keeping your buildings healthy in the midst of COVID-19.
Speakers:
Adelmarie Bones, Senior Industrial Hygienist
Dave Ayriss, Senior Occupational Hygienist and Associate
Jason McGonigle, EHS Senior Practice Leader and Principal
Moderator – Andreas Wagner, Principal and Practice Leader
Learning Objectives:
• Types of sampling available – what is out there, what are the approaches?
• Advantages and disadvantages of each sampling technique
• How to interpret the data
• Limitations of each sampling approach
• Other approaches to consider
IHMM & HMS Coronavirus Resources
In February of 2020, the World Health Organization’s director-general has declared a public health emergency of international concern over the ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus. On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency for the United States. IHMM and HMS’s first concern is with the safety and health of all of us; our staff and families, colleagues, certificants, and members. We will update this page regularly as credible, authoritative information is available. See: https://ihmm.org/coronavirus-resources/
HMS Affinity Programs: Affordable Health Insurance for Smaller Companies
Hazardous Materials Society has a series of affinity programs designed to save you money and make your lives a bit easier. Check out
The respected Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported that the cost of family health coverage now exceeds $20,000 a year – a record high cost that is pushing an increasing number of Americans into plans that cover less and cost more
or force them out of health insurance altogether.
Haven’t you had enough of the health insurance industry/government exchanges run-around where you have few if any, choices and ever-increasing costs?
HMS has worked with the best people in the health insurance industry to deliver a program exclusively for HMS members that solve this problem. The HMS Health Insurance Program empowers our small to medium-sized businesses with stronger coverage at a lower cost than is found in the ACA commercial marketplaces where you get insurance today.
A Collaborative Culture at IHMM & HMS
A Collaborative Culture at IHMM & HMSThere are 201 different conversations going on in the IHMM/HMS Collaboration platform this week. A collaborative culture is important for every business but is especially important for our hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environment, health, and safety communities of practice. IHMM credentialed professionals are at the top 1% of their professions and their reach is global. We are at the forefront of environmental protection, health, and safety and this is where collaborating with the best people in their fields, always willing to help one another, lessens the stress of our jobs and where we strive as a team to make a difference of which we are proud.
We opened COLLABORATION to enable thousands of certificants and supporters to collaborate together. You can collaborate here> https://community.ihmm.org/home
IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
PCC Defense of Private Credentials
Skills Renewal Act-Federal
You may recall that, earlier this summer, the PCC launched a campaign (in coordination with PCC Steering Committee member ASAE) in support of the Skills Renewal Act, a bipartisan federal bill that would provide a $4,000 tax credit to workers displaced by the pandemic to attain skills training and credentials to permit them to seek/obtain gainful employment. We proposed amendments to the bill to ensure that the tax credit would cover certification exam expenses. Over a very active several week period, we had numerous conversations with legislative staff for the sponsors of the bill in the House and Senate, lobbied staff members on the key committees of jurisdiction, and transmitted a PCC letter announcing our support of the bill – subject to our proposed amendments, which were supported by the bill sponsors – to key Members of Congress. We also encouraged PCC members to send their own letters of support and to engage your memberships/certificants, as appropriate, to convey their support for the bill (subject to our proposed amendments) to their elected officials.
We are grateful for the support our membership demonstrated for this initiative and were pleased by the mostly positive feedback we received from Members of Congress and staff regarding our advocacy efforts and substantive proposals for changes. Unfortunately, the Skills Renewal Act has not advanced, in large part because Congress and the Trump Administration failed to construct a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill prior to the start of its annual August recess. As such, there has not been a suitable legislative vehicle to which the Skills Renewal Act could be attached. We will continue to engage with the bill sponsors and other influencers in Congress to press our support for the bill and appreciate your continuing support. Our goal remains passage of this bill, with expanded language to include certification programs. Whether or not the bill advances, however, our efforts to educate members of the House and Senate and key Committee staff may prove useful for future bills and has raised the PCC’s profile on Capitol Hill.
Missouri Title Restrictions – State
At the end of May, the Missouri legislature passed a comprehensive occupational licensing bill that incorporated several provisions providing legal safe harbor to private certification programs and distinguishing such programs from government credentialing programs. The PCC originally drafted and successfully advocated for those provisions.
As we have previously reported to you, the bill that became law did not include an amendment to existing law that we had been seeking: an affirmation that an individual can legally hold themselves out as a “registered” professional if “registered” is used as the designation that is conferred under a private credentialing program. Under the language in the current law, the title “registered” is restricted to those who fulfill requirements to register with the state. After the passage of the legislation, staff for the bill sponsor with whom we had been working reached out to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration to confirm the Division’s interpretation that the restriction was intended to apply only to those who falsely hold themselves out as having registered with the state and that an individual who has earned a credential from a private certification organization may lawfully use that title. Staff for the Division confirmed this interpretation in writing to the Senator’s staff in an email that we obtained. However, in the interest of legal certainty, the PCC followed up on that communication by sending a letter to the Director of the Division to request that the Division formally confirm our favored interpretation in writing, as official policy/guidance from the Division.
OSHA Final Rule – Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Railroad Roadway Work
Working near belt conveyors: Recent deaths spur MSHA safety alert
Senate Vote Fails on ‘Targeted’ COVID-19 Relief Bill
OSHA releases employers’ injury, illness data for 2016-2018
Risk Management for Existing Chemicals under TSCA
NIOSH Research Initiatives Ponder the Future of Work
COVID-19: US State Policy Report – September 10-11, 2020
Beltway Buzz, Ogletree & Deakins
“Skinny” Coronavirus Package Blocked. Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week following an August recess, but didn’t do much to move the ball forward on pressing issues such as coronavirus relief, postal service aid, or federal government funding beyond September 30, 2020. On September 10, 2020, Senate Democrats defeated a targeted pandemic stimulus package that included a $300 weekly unemployment premium, employer COVID-19–related liability protections, assistance for the United States Postal Service, childcare and educational support, and money to combat the virus. Though things can of course change, this likely means that there will be not be a coronavirus relief package prior to the November 2020 elections.
Regarding government funding, it seems that a continuing resolution maintaining current funding levels will be the favored legislative vehicle. Democrats will likely push for the continuing resolution to run into 2021 when a potential Biden administration would have leverage and could take a fresh look at federal spending.
Joint-Employer Rule Struck Down. On September 8, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down the most significant element of the U.S. Department of Labor’s joint-employer regulation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In deciding a legal challenge filed by a group of state attorneys general, the court ruled that the joint-employer regulation impermissibly conflicted with the statutory text of the FLSA (particularly the definitions of “employer,” “employee,” and “employ”), that the rule’s “control-based test for joint employer liability [was] unduly narrow,” and that “the Department did not adequately explain why it departed from its prior interpretations.” Because the regulation has been in effect since March 16, 2020, the ruling stirs up a sea of uncertainty for employers.
H-1B Changes Expected. On September 3, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs its draft proposal to make significant changes to its regulations implementing the H-1B visa program. The proposed rule is expected to limit the definition of “specialty occupation” and place restrictions on the use of third-party customer sites. The current administration is determined to have the regulation finalized and in effect before a potential Biden administration, so the changes are expected to be implemented as an interim final rule, without the benefit of public comment. The rule is expected to issue in September or in early October 2020.
EEOC Clarifies Its “Pattern or Practice” Enforcement. On September 3, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued an opinion letter clarifying its interpretation and enforcement of “pattern or practice” litigation under § 707(a) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over the years, the distinctions between § 707 pattern-or-practice cases and § 706 discrimination cases that the EEOC pursues on behalf of individual employees have blurred. The letter confirms that when pursuing § 707 pattern-or-practice cases, the EEOC must follow the same administrative prerequisites as when pursuing § 706 cases on behalf of individual employees, such as the requirement of an underlying charge of discrimination and engaging in conciliation.
NLRB General Counsel Issues Memo Affecting Neutrality Agreements. On September 4, 2020, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Peter B. Robb issued Memorandum GC 20-13, the “Guidance Memorandum on Employer Assistance in Union Organizing.” The memorandum harmonizes two different legal standards that have been applied when an employer impermissibly assists a union in its organizing effort and when an employer impermissibly assists employees seeking to decertify a union. Pursuant to the memo, the Board is instructed to apply the same “more than ministerial aid” standard in both situations. The memo is particularly focused on neutrality agreements and instructs that their provisions “should be examined under the lens of whether they provide ‘more than ministerial support’ to the union’s efforts to organize.”
FEMA Unemployment Insurance Update. As of September 9, 2020, 48 states, as well as Guam and the District of Columbia, had been approved for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants under the lost wages assistance program. Nevada and South Dakota have not signed on. Some states that were early adopters are already close to the end of their sixth week of benefits.
CHEMTREC’s Online Hazmat Training Meets U.S. DOT Training Requirements!
CHEMTREC, the world’s leader in hazmat emergency response, can help keep your company safe and compliant with its self-paced online hazmat training courses. Available training includes 49 CFR, Hazmat General, Safety and Security Awareness, IATA, and Lithium Battery Shipping. Sign up today!
EHS Digest & Updates
- CDC Issues Guidance for Restaurants and Bars
- NIOSH Updates on Wildfire Containment Safety
- Industry Safe Shares Top Five Topics for Construction Safety Meetings
- EPA: Brownfields and Public Health
- Safety Risks Assessment on Container Terminal Using Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and Fault Tree Analysis Methods
- Frontline: COVID’s Hidden Toll
- Global Scrap Markets Awakening After Lockdown
- COVID-19 has infected some 570,000 health workers and killed 2,500 in the Americas
- Guidelines for Laboratory Shutdown During Emergency Closures
- COVID-19’S Impact On the Hotel Industry: AHLA Report
- NYT: How to Prepare for Your Return to the Office
- NSC Assessments Identify Gaps in Your Safety Program
- Utility Construction Safety Resources from AGC
- Transforming Health, Safety, and Well-Being in Construction
IHMM EVENTS CALENDAR
IHMM NOW HAS A COMPANION ORGANIZATION FOR WHICH EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE PRESENTED AND DELIVERED. THE CALENDAR IN THIS SPACE FROM THE IHMM WEBSITE IS BEING REPLACED BY THE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SOCIETY WEBSITE AND THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTION FOUND HERE: https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
IHMM AFFILIATIONS
9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470, Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 Fax:301-984-1516