IHMM Remotely Proctored Exams Available Now
IHMM is pleased to announce that the American National Standards Institute [ANSI] has approved Kryterion Remotely Proctored Exams for IHMM’s CHMM, CHMP, and CDGP exams. IHMM has been using the Kryterion Remotely Proctored Exams for the CSHM and CSMP exams since April of this year.
About 60% of Kryterion in-person testing centers have reopened. If you prefer the comfort and convenience of taking your exam from your home or office instead of at a Kryterion center, IHMM is ready to enroll you in a remotely proctored examination.
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.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
IHMM Today 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.
IHMM Credential Recognition
Below you will see the 3 EHS credential badges that are now in each CSHM, CSMP, and ASHM certificant’s MYIHMM account. Every IHMM certificant may use these badges, linked as those below are to their IHMM credential page, for their email signatures, business cards, and other social media applications. You’re justifiably proud of the accomplishment of having earned your credential and you can show the rest of the world. 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.
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.
EnviroWorkShops 2021 Global Enviro Summit
Are You Ready for a Global Stage?
September 14-17, 2021, Sheraton Charlotte Hotel, Charlotte, North Carolina
EnviroSummit is a global conference with international presentations in the morning on the main stage, and breakout sessions for Remediation, Vapor Intrusion, Air Quality and Wastewater in the afternoon. The 2021 Global EnviroSummit is a conference with a mission of evaluating the different approaches for “Accelerating Trends and Advancing Technology” in the environmental industry. There will be speakers from around the globe that will address some of the environmental challenges they face in their country. There will also be speakers from the EPA, ITRC and other government agencies.
IHMM has between 1.30 pm and 5.00 pm on September 16, 2021, to deliver 4, 45-minute presentations on Wastewater Technologies. These 4 presentations should highlight specific projects done by a CHMM involving wastewater and include a narrative lasting 30 minutes that focuses on everything from permitting to technology and construction and results.
IHMM has two presentations and seeks two individuals who are willing to each make presentations in person, in Charlotte on September 16, 2021 between 1.30 pm and 4.15 pm
Interested? This affords the CHMM the opportunity to bring to a global audience the technical capabilities of your work and that of your company in handling challenges involving wastewater management.
Contact: Gene Guilford at [email protected]
HMS Offers 4 PHMSA HMIT Grant DOT Hazmat Courses at the IHMM Offices – Rockville, MD
The Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] has been promoting these four DOT Hazmat programs since early July to those in the Virginia, Maryland, and DC area as all of these programs will be conducted in-person at the IHMM offices in Rockville.
All of these programs are FREE of charge. Click on each of the links provided below for more information about the registration, prerequisite, and CMP requirements associated with each program.
| August 17-19, 2021 | PHMSA HMIT Grant DOT Hazmat Basic Awareness Training | HMS | Rockville, MD |
| August 24-26, 2021 | PHMSA HMIT Grant DOT Hazmat Advanced Awareness Training | HMS | Rockville, MD |
| Sept 14-16, 2021 | PHMSA HMIT Grant DOT Hazmat Advanced Awareness Training | HMS | Rockville, MD |
| Sept 21-23, 2021 | PHMSA HMIT Grant DOT Hazmat Basic Awareness Training | HMS | Rockville, MD |
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Want to Raise the Visibility of Your Credential? Answer the Question in the Survey
IHMM wants inform the news media, state and federal regulators, and the legal profession of the availability of “experts” for use in legal proceedings, working with environmental regulators or commenting on matters in the news for the news media. This will raise the level of visibility of all IHMM credentials and those who hold them.
We will construct a section of our AA/database allowing IHMM certificants to register for this project and select the areas of specialization they hold. Only those whose fees are up-to-date will be allowed to register and be available for public view of their levels of expertise.
This project will increase the value of our credentials as well as our ability to serve the legal, media, and government regulator sectors of the economy by offering experts to provide commentary or testimony. Registration would be strictly voluntary.
Survey
Before IHMM does any further work on this project we need to collect some data. This survey is designed to collect data from IHMM certificant’s general attitude toward this new feature being created and whether or not you may ultimately register for it. The survey obligates you to nothing. We are just collecting data on whether or not IHMM certificants believe this service if it is created, would be worthwhile.
Take the survey here.
HMS and Earning Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs]
IHMM created HMS, in large measure, so that IHMM certificants could have one, central place within which to find professional development courses in which to earn certification maintenance points. HMS courses cover all of IHMM’s 8 credentials, not only one.
We’ve made it easy to find CMPs.
- Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/
- Go to the Education and Training tab
- Scroll down until you see these buttons…and click on the CMPs button
- The system will produce a listing of the programs on the platform that have already been reviewed and given CMP ratings. You can find the programs suitable for you.
For example, one of the programs is from Columbia Southern University, offered online, has 36 CMPs attached, and is FREE. This is only one example. There are hundreds of programs on HMS.
Recertification of your IHMM credential is easy and straightforward – encompassing the 5 basic steps shown above. This graphic applies to the CHMM, CHMP, CDGP, and CDGT credentials. IHMM is constructing the system to incorporate the former ISHM point system to the IHMM point system for all CSHM and CSMP credentials later this summer.
IHMM certificants need to recertify their credentials every 5 years. You can learn about and use this system here.
How to earn Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs] is also easy and straightforward: read the IHMM Recertification Claims Manual.
IHMM’s recertification system allows certificants to start a recertification application at any time, don’t wait until the 4th year and the 11th month to start one – start now and enter your CMPs as you go. That makes completing the application easy when the time comes to recertify. Certificants can start a recertification application with their CMPs through their individual MYIHMM accounts.
If you need assistance with this process, accessing your MYIHMM account, or anything concerning the recertification process, simply contact either Jimmy Nguyen at [email protected] or James Drosdak at [email protected] and either will be happy to help you.
CALL TO ACTION MEANS YOU!
CALL TO ACTION – Representative Spanberger of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District has drafted legislation entitled, H.R. 2171, “Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act.” This legislation expands the provisions of existing law with respect to the allowable uses of Section 529 education tuition accounts to include most expenses paid by the holders of private professional certifications. We need you to contact your House and Senate members to ask them to co-sponsor this legislation.
CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE
Scroll to the bottom of the page in the link above. Then click on the Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. All you have to do is enter your name, address, and zip code and the IHMM VoterVoice system does the rest and automatically sends our message to your Senators and members of the House of Representatives. It’s very easy and matters!
Do You Want Government to Recognize Your Credential?
IHMM & AHMP 45 in 5 Project – National Credential Recognition
On January 25th, we began outlining the strategy to go after the 21 states in yellow, above. Since then we have succeeded in adding Nebraska, Colorado, and California.
This is just the beginning. Here is the present composition of the 45 In 5 Task Force and the states we are focusing on. More people may volunteer anytime!
In 2019 Mark Bruce from AHMP and Gene Guilford from IHMM worked on a project to get the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to recognize the CHMM and CDGT credentials. With Mark’s work on the ground in Pennsylvania, we succeeded.
Since the launch, we have added Delaware, Florida, Texas, California, Washington, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico as the next places for us to work on with 44 volunteers.
45 in 5 Task Force Votes to Move Forward
At its July 19th meeting the 45 in 5 Task Force voted to:
Initiate a rulemaking with the Environmental Protection Agency to amend 40 CFR § 310 Definitions, to include the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM] credential with the existing Professional Engineer and Professional Geologist.
Initiate a guidance change with the Small Business Administration concerning the performance of Phase I and II environmental assessments.
Support the IHMM/PCC Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. H.R. 2171.
It’s Infrastructure Week in the Senate
EPA Holds Public Webinar on Development of Proposed TSCA Data Reporting Rule
OSHA-NIOSH Small Business Safety and Health Handbook
NEW DOT Chart 17: Markings, Labeling, Placarding Guide
e-Manifest User Fees and Payment Information: Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 User Fees and Frequent Questions.
2021 Guidance Document – Battery Powered Cargo Tracking Devices / Data Loggers Revised for the 2021 Regulations – Revision 1
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; Monitoring Requirements for Use of Dispersants and Other Chemicals
CDC – Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
House passes bill requiring EPA to regulate PFAS contamination
Pennsylvania DEP to require radiological testing of leachate at landfills
‘Green’ Synthesis of Plastics from CO2
Breakthrough in Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variant in Wastewater
The Environmental Toll of Disposable Masks
EPA – Spring 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions
Agriculture –Semiannual Regulatory Agenda, Spring 2021
EPA – Proposed Substances To Be Evaluated for Toxicological Profile Development
EPA and Army Announce Next Steps for Crafting Enduring Definition of Waters of the United States
EPA Releases Preliminary Data for 2020 Toxics Release Inventory Reporting, Including First Ever Reporting on PFAS
New Interactive Maps and Resources Empower the Public and Policymakers to Act on Environmental Justice
Regulatory Update: DOL Rolls Back Contractor Rule
OSHA Heat Standard Aimed at Indoor Workers
Actions on How to Handle the Spread of Delta Variant of COVID Begins
Evaluation of the Department of Defense’s Actions to Control Contaminant Effects from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances at Department of Defense Installations (DODIG-2021-105)
Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH on Today’s MMWR
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.
Safety incentive programs
Trends in personal protective equipment 2021
“Very clear ownership of EHS”
Using artificial intelligence to identify serious injury and fatality potential
See the best in others – and yourself
Steps to boost truck cab safety
Find and fix workplace hazards
Temporary power safety
FACE Report: Worker falls from boom lift during tree trimming
Gas detection in confined spaces
Fall restraint vs. fall arrest
Understanding and eliminating arc flash
NSC Webinars
Safe + Sound Week
Please join us in participating in Safe + Sound Week from August 9-15, 2021. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August to show your business’s commitment to keep workers safe year-round. Safe + Sound Week is also a time when information and ideas are shared to help get your safety and health program started or improve an existing program.
Visit the Safe + Sound Week webpage to sign up to participate, and for ideas on planning and promoting your event.
REGISTER NOW FOR SAFE + SOUND WEEK
IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to provide this information to all of our certificants.
ASSP News
4 Qualities of Great Safety Leaders
The Fall Protection Lifeline: A Safety Professional’s Guide to Self-Retracting Devices
OSHA Safe + Sound Week: August 9-15, 2021
Safety News You Need: Leadership and Partnerships
Learn More About the 2021 ASSP Governance Proposal
ASSP Seminars
ISO 45001 and OSH Professionals
ASSP is the TAG Administrator [Technical Advisory Group] to ANSI for the ISO TC283 [Technical Committee]. TC283 is responsible for the creation of ISO 45001 and other important standards and documents under the 283 series of technical materials. ASSP, as the U.S. TAG Administrator, is responsible to work with the committee [TAG] membership to create U.S. voting positions and technical comments for ANSI at the global level. IHMM is a member of ASSP and is proud to have contributed to this important work through our representative Tom Slavin, CSHM.
The Society recently concluded an extensive webinar with Martin Cottam [TC283 Chair], Sally Swingewood [TC283 Manager], Vic Toy [U.S. TAG Chair], and Kathy Seabrook [U.S. TAG Vice-Chair].
This is an extensive webinar and interview that should interest OSH Professionals working with ISO 45001 and management systems. We address ISO 45001, 45003, 45005, etc. There are always a lot of questions on this standard[s] and ASSP can give you the answers. This webinar is worthy of your time to review.
IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to provide this information to all of our certificants.
IHMM and HMS
The graphic to the left illustrates the relationship between IHMM and HMS. IHMM formed HMS to serve IHMM’s certificates. IHMM offers a variety of professional credentials and HMS creates education and training programs to serve the applicants and certificants of those credentials.
Survey
The Hazardous Materials Society has created a survey to learn from IHMM’s certificants what those certificants need most. If HMS is to serve IHMM’s certificants we need IHMM’s certificants to respond to this survey.
Please go here for a short, 5 question survey that takes less than 2 minutes to take.
HMS Affinity Programs – CINTAS Uniforms
With more than 27,000 people – here is where HMS leverages our numbers for member’s benefit. There is strength and value in numbers and that translates into lower costs for you.
Save up to 65% off Cintas uniforms, safety and facility services.
Keep your team and workspace looking their best. New Cintas contracts enjoy special discounts and a free one-time UltraClean service and free installation of hygiene dispensers. Enroll with NPP today and save on Cintas!
Enroll your business for FREE with NPP to learn more about Cintas discounts. Enroll with NPP here.
HMS Education and Training
Hazardous Materials Society now has 11,701 education and training programs on its website, with more coming every week. Certificants will note that most of these programs carry a CMP value, making it easier to know in advance what to expect. The HMS Education and Training platform also provides a wide variety of courses for professional development across all of IHMM’s credentials – and more are being developed by the HMS Education and Training Committee.
This is the center of education and training for IHMM certificants and prospective certificants. Among these more than 15.000 programs are webinars delivered online and virtually all carry IHMM CMPs values with them for your annual / 5-year CMP planning.
Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] Scholarship Applications for 2021 LIVE
Dan Levine, Chair of the HMS Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that HMS Scholarship applications for 2021 are live and available on the HMS website.
Visit the HMS Scholarship page and click the big red button that says APPLY NOW GET THE APPLICATION FORM HERE!
Thank you to Dan and his committee for getting the HMS Scholarship open in 2021, and for more information and the application form, please visit the website link above.
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.
Member Benefits of Hazardous Materials Society
81% of IHMM certificants are aware of the Hazardous Materials Society, which we appreciate. IHMM established the Hazardous Materials Society in order to support and provide services to IHMM certificants.
Did You Know?
Your company’s membership dues for Associate Membership in the Hazardous Materials Society (HMS) are 100% tax-deductible and your participation directly supports scholarship and education/training opportunities for professionals working in hazmat and EHS. Joining as an Associate Member expresses your commitment and your company’s leadership in giving back to our professional community. Join today to claim your tax deduction for the 2020 tax year while expressing your company’s professional affiliation and accessing tools for your marketing and business development plans.
To learn more about what HMS is doing now and what they are planning for the future, please see the new Member Benefits page here.
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’ first concern is with the safety and health of all of us; our staff and families, colleagues, certificants and members. We will update this page regularly as credible, authoritative information is available.
INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND LABORATORIES.
COVID-19 Data Tracker By State
COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in Non-Healthcare Workplaces
COVID-19 Weekly Review – July 30, 2021
CDC Communications Toolkit
Are adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine recordable on the OSHA recordkeeping log?
In general, an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is recordable if the reaction is: (1) work-related, (2) a new case, and (3) meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7 (e.g., days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid).
If you require your employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment (i.e., for work-related reasons), then any adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is work-related. The adverse reaction is recordable if it is a new case under 29 CFR 1904.6 and meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7.
New! Vaccine Data Dashboard. We now have a specific dashboard dedicated to state vaccination plans, updated daily. For each state, you’ll find:
- Current distribution phase,
- Brief overview of state plan,
- Current and future eligible populations, and
- Links to state documentation.
A Collaborative Culture
There are 472 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.
Retiring? IHMM Invites You to Become an Emeritus
You may have decided, after a long and successful career, to retire from active daily duty. Congratulations. That doesn’t mean you have to completely disengage from your profession. IHMM is pleased to offer Emeritus status to all certificants who will no longer be actively engaged in their communities of practice but who still want to stay in touch. Please let us know when you’re approaching that decision and we will assist you in the credential transition.
Please contact Jim Drosdak at [email protected] and he’ll be happy to help you.
Columbia Southern University
The Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] is a partner of Columbia Southern University. Columbia Southern University is an online university based in Orange Beach, Alabama, that strives to change and improve lives through higher education by enabling students to maximize their professional and personal potential.
A subsidiary of Columbia Southern Education Group, CSU offers online degree programs at the associate, bachelor, master, doctorate or certificate levels in a multitude of areas such as occupational safety and health, fire administration, criminal justice, business administration, human resource management, health care administration and more. CSU also features undergraduate and graduate certificate programs to provide focused training in specialized areas for adult learners.
Click on the CSU graphic at left and learn more about the professional development and degree program opportunities at CSU.
IHMM CONFERENCES FOR 2021
IHMM will attend and support a number of conferences and trade shows throughout 2021, virtually as well as in-person as COVID issues allow. Below are some of the conferences IHMM will support in 2021.
Are there conferences you believe IHMM should attend that do not appear here? If so, let us know! Send an email to Diane McLevy and tell us what conferences we should attend.
College & University Hazardous Materials Management Conference
August 7-12, 2021
Denver, Colorado
This conference is being run entirely virtually.
ASSP Safety21 Conference & Expo
September 13-15, 2021
Austin, Texas
Join thousands of safety professionals at the Nation’s leading event for occupational safety!
This is an in-person conference with a virtual component. View the brochure.
EnviroWorkShops 2021 Global Enviro Summit
September 14-17, 2021
Charlotte, North Carolina
This is an in-person and virtual conference. There are 100+ confirmed speakers and attendance is expected to be over 800.
Contaminated soil, groundwater, and the air is a global issue and over $1 trillion is spent every year to mitigate pollution. There is a lot still to learn from each other on how each segment of the environmental industry impacts the next. The 2021 Global EnviroSummit will include technical presentations from some of the world’s leaders on pollution control and the leading technologies that are used in the industry.
With over 75 speakers from around the globe, the EnviroSummit is likely the first environmental conference that will have presentations from all 6 continents about 4 different themes – Remediation, Air Quality, Vapor Intrusion, and Wastewater.
Registration Open Here
Register With Confidence in 2021
We understand that the future is uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so all registrations will be fully refundable for any reason until October 15, 2021. Register with confidence knowing that if your plans change, you’re fully covered.
Beltway Buzz – Ogletree & Deakins
It’s Infrastructure Week! The U.S. Senate this week began debating the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), the 2,700-page infrastructure bill that has been the subject of heated negotiations over the last several weeks. (As a point of reference, the first published edition of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace was merely 1,225 pages long.) Here are a few things to note about the bill and the process going forward.
- Hard infrastructure. The bill provides $1.2 trillion in funding for the building and repair of roads, bridges, ports, airports, public transit, broadband, power grid modernization, and other projects. The bill also takes steps to address climate change (it provides funding related to electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and carbon capture, for example), shrink red tape associated with major construction projects, and reduce pollution.
- No PRO Act. Importantly, the bill does not contain provisions of the PRO Act, and it does not address paid leave, child care, Medicare expansion, unemployment insurance reforms, or other “social infrastructure” matters. Congressional Democrats plan to address these and other issues in subsequent legislation using the reconciliation process, which would allow them to pass such a bill with a simple majority vote.
- ERTC shortened. Employers may want to note that the employee retention tax credit (ERTC), which was established by the CARES Act and extended in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will terminate early under the bill. Currently, employers can claim the retention credit through the end of 2021, but this date would be pushed forward to October 1, 2021 (though certain small businesses that began operations in 2020 may claim the credit for the remainder of 2021). The provision is included as a funding mechanism for the bill.
- Bipartisan push. The bill has significant bipartisan support, as 17 Senate Republicans voted with all Democrats to begin debate on the bill. In addition, the bill enjoys support from groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as from the AFL-CIO.
- What comes next? As for timing (always hard to predict), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that he would like to wrap up the amendment process quickly, which means that final passage of the legislation could take place sometime next week or sooner. Assuming the bill passes the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives will then have an opportunity to address it. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has promised that she would not address the bill until the second “social infrastructure” bill passes the Senate. This all means that we could be continuing this discussion about both bills into the fall.
Pregnancy Accommodation Bill—One Step Closer to Law? On August 3, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) advanced the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) (H.R. 1065). The lopsided 19–2 committee vote on approval perhaps portends a favorable outcome for the bill on the Senate floor. The PWFA—which would require employers to make reasonable accommodation for pregnant workers (such as by providing more frequent bathroom breaks or easing lifting requirements)—has been on the Buzz’s radar for a while now. With this action this week, the bill moves one step closer to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Weil Nomination Slowed. In other Senate HELP Committee news, the committee voted 11–11 on David Weil’s nomination to be administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division. This means that Weil’s nomination (similar to the nomination of NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo) will need an additional vote from the full Senate in order to be discharged from the committee. Weil has the numbers on his side (ever so slightly), and he, like Abruzzo, will likely be confirmed in due course. As the Buzz has previously discussed, Weil is known for his views on the “fissured workplace,” as well as a narrow interpretation of what it means to be an “independent contractor” and an expansive interpretation of “joint employer.”
Fed. Contractor Minimum Wage Reg. Deadline (Slightly) Extended. The DOL extended the deadline for stakeholders to submit comments in response to the proposed regulations implementing an increase in the minimum wage for certain employees of federal contractors. Interested parties probably should not think about booking a late-summer vacation, though: the period has only been extended from the original date of August 23, 2021, to August 27, 2021.
Congress Continues to Target Arbitration. House Democrats have reintroduced the Restoring Justice for Workers Act, which would “prohibit predispute arbitration agreements that require arbitration of work disputes.” The bill represents yet another front in the political battle over arbitration agreements. As the Buzz noted recently, another bill in the 117th Congress—the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (H.R. 4445/S. 2342)—proposes to limit the enforceability of certain arbitration agreements.
Congressional Gold Medals. The 2020 Summer Olympics wraps up on August 8, 2021. The Olympics and politics have always been intertwined, so it should come as no surprise that these former U.S. Olympians subsequently made their way into politics.
- Bob Mathias won gold medals in the decathlon in the Summer Olympic Games in London (1948) and Helsinki (1952), and he subsequently represented California’s 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives (1967–1975).
- Wendell Anderson won a silver medal playing ice hockey for the United States in the 1956 Winter Olympics. He was later elected governor of Minnesota. When Minnesota senator Walter Mondale resigned his position after being elected vice president of the United States in 1976, Anderson essentially appointed himself as Mondale’s successor, and served two years in the U.S. Senate (1976–1978).
- Tom McMillen earned a silver medal playing basketball for the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The U.S. men’s team lost to the Soviet Union, 51–50, and became the first U.S. men’s basketball team not to win a gold medal in the Olympics (after having won gold at the previous seven Olympic Games—all the way back to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin). The final seconds of the game were mired by an officiating controversy, and the U.S. team refused to receive their silver medals. After completing a successful professional basketball career, McMillen served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1987–1993) from Maryland’s 4th congressional district.
- Bill Bradley won a gold medal in basketball in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He subsequently won two National Basketball Association championships playing for the New York Knicks before representing New Jersey in the U.S. Senate (1979–1997).
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell also represented the United States in the 1964 Summer Olympics, participating in judo. He later represented Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives (1987–1993) and in the U.S. Senate (1993–2005).
- Jim Ryun (whom the Buzz previously profiled) also participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics as a middle-distance runner for the United States, and he also participated in the Olympics in Mexico City (1968) and Munich (1972). He then represented Kansas’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives (1996–2007).
OSHA – Request for Information on the Mechanical Power Presses Standard
OSHA – Request for Information on the Mechanical Power Presses StandardThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is requesting information and comment on issues related to the mechanical power presses standard. OSHA is seeking information regarding whether it should update the mechanical power presses standard and, if so, how closely the standard should follow the current ANSI standard for mechanical power presses. It is also seeking information on the types of presses that should be covered, the use and certification of equipment, and other topics such as presence-sensing device initiation (PSDI) systems, and requirements for press modifications, training, and injury reporting. Please reference the Federal Register here.
Individuals may submit comments electronically at http://www.regulations.gov (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0003, which also includes documents referenced by OSHA in the RFI). Please refer to the Federal Register notice for additional details. The deadline for submitting comments is October 26, 2021.
Professional Certification Coalition [PCC] Year in Review and Prospectus for FY2021-2022
What We’ve Done for Certificants This Year
PCC’s new fiscal year (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022) began this month. As the calendar flips, we have prepared our annual “year in review” document highlighting the PCC’s major workstreams, accomplishments, and thought leadership over the past year. As you will likely be able to tell, even with the interruption of many state legislative sessions due to the pandemic, it was another busy and productive year for the Coalition. We are also including in the document a Prospectus section, outlining expected priorities for the fiscal year that just began. We hope that you all, your executives and Board members, and other stakeholders within your organization find this document useful in recognizing the value of your PCC membership. Please also feel free to share this document at your discretion with other like-minded organizations that may wish to join the PCC this year. While the depth of your commitment to participating in the PCC’s activities has been critical, we continue to believe that there is strength in numbers; it would be beneficial to expand our membership to include a wider array of professions/occupations and to give us the financial resources necessary to both deepen and broaden our state and federal advocacy efforts.
IHMM is proud to be a member of the PCC and joins with 117 other certification bodies around America defending our certificants.
Vendor Alert: 881 – How much of this business did you get?
IHMM has seen a 100% jump in applications and examinations over 2019, and for the first 5 months of 2021, we stand at 881. How much of this business did your company see?
If you’re missing out contact Diane McLevy at [email protected] and see how you can benefit from a relationship with IHMM and HMS.
IHMM-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
