IHMM Today March 21, 2023

IHMM Government Affairs Needs Volunteers

IHMM Board Chair Bill Diesslin has issued a call for volunteers for the IHMM Government Affairs Committee. Everyone can learn more about the charter of this committee here > https://ihmm.org/government-affairs-committee/

In joining this committee we request a cross-section of all of IHMM’s credential holders, as IHMM is involved in a wide variety of government affairs activities that are described in detail here > https://ihmm.org/ihmm-government-affairs/

Top 4 Projects in February-March, 2023

• We need volunteers in these states:  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.
• NY Department of Labor rulemaking concerning the recognition of the CSHM and CSMP – IHMM Amendment sent to Anthony Dell-Isola to work with his State Senator
• Work with Eric Vega in Puerto Rico concerning credential recognition
• Review of the Governor of Nevada’s Executive Order concerning licensing boards and potential for recognition of the CHMM – IHMM Sent on Friday, March 3, 2023
• Scheduling meetings with the Maryland Congressional delegation concerning the Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist [CPPS] credential – IHMM had meetings with Senator Cardin and Representative Trone on March 2, 2023, scheduling Senator Van Hollen next.

IHMM Needs Volunteers

IHMM has a wide variety of ways that our certificants and members can volunteer their time, make a substantial contribution to their communities of practice, and earn valuable Continuing Maintenance Points [CMPs].

Volunteering with IHMM is a deeply rewarding and giving endeavor, ranging from being a subject matter expert on a scheme committee to leading discussions in our COLLABORATION engagement platform to becoming a mentor for a college student.

Take a few minutes and review How to Become An IHMM Volunteer, and then scroll down and take the volunteer self-assessment.

CHMP Scheme Committee

• Must be a CHMP > https://ihmm.org/chmp-scheme-committee/

Government Affairs Committee

• Open to all certificants > https://ihmm.org/government-affairs-committee/

Nominating Committee

• Needs one new member, open to all certificants > https://ihmm.org/nominating-committee/

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

PFAS in Drinking Water: EPA Proposes Historic New Regulation

The EPA Administrator, Michael S. Regan, signed the following proposed rule on 3/13/2023, and EPA is submitting it for publication in the Federal Register (FR). While we have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of the proposed rule, it is not the official version of the proposed rule for purposes of public comment. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming FR publication, which will appear on the Government Printing Office’s FDsys website (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/). It will also appear on Regulations.gov (https://www.regulations.gov/) in Docket No. EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0114 Once the official version of this document is published in the FR, this version will be removed from the Internet and replaced with a link to the official version.

The proposal is part of EPA’s multi-year PFAS Strategic Roadmap for addressing this class of synthetic chemicals. PFAS have been in use since the 1940s, are found in hundreds of widely used products, and do not readily degrade in the environment, a characteristic that has earned them the description, “forever chemicals.” The six PFAS the EPA’s proposed rule addresses are the most studied of the thousands of PFAS in the class.

Read more >> https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-03/Pre-Publication%20Federal%20Register%20Notice_PFAS%20NPDWR_NPRM_Final_3.13.23.pdf

EPA Releases Additional Data on Ongoing Uses of Chrysotile Asbestos

On March 17, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released additional data related to the proposed risk management rule for chrysotile asbestos for public comment. 88 Fed. Reg. 16389. According to EPA’s March 16, 2023, press release, these data concern chrysotile asbestos diaphragms used in the chlor-alkali industry and chrysotile asbestos-containing sheet gaskets used in chemical production. EPA states that it may use the data in the development of the final rule, including the proposed chrysotile asbestos prohibition compliance dates for these uses. EPA requests public comment on any data in the docket that were received during and after the proposed rule public comment period and about how EPA should consider it during the development of the final rule. Comments are due April 17, 2023. For more information, please read the full memorandum.

Read more >> https://www.lawbc.com/regulatory-developments/entry/epa-releases-additional-data-on-ongoing-uses-of-chrysotile-asbestos

USDOT Announces State and Local Funding to Improve Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Safety Nationwide

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced more than $25 million available in grant funding through its pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs. These grants are for projects that will train first responders, strengthen safety programs, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts, and educate the public on local safety initiatives. This includes projects that provide support to state inspectors for hazardous materials shipments and pipelines inspections, important safety training and educational programs for emergency response, and advance­ innovative safety technologies.

“We need to make sure our first responders are ready to respond to emergencies involving pipelines and hazardous materials,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will train firefighters and other first responders and help ensure that communities have the resources they need to keep their residents safe.”

Read more >> https://ihmm.org/usdot-announces-state-and-local-funding-to-improve-hazardous-materials-and-pipeline-safety-nationwide/

IATA 2023 Lithium Battery Guidance Document

More than ever, lithium batteries power things around us. Whether it be in our homes or at our business. One *source suggests that the global lithium-ion battery market size will reach 135.1 billion USD by 2031. The growth is expected in renewable energy and electric vehicles. These batteries must travel from the manufacturer to businesses and consumers. They may ship via road, rail, ocean, and air.

As such, IATA (International Air Transport Association) aids in providing shippers with information and guidance on how to prepare the battery safely for transport.

One document is the Lithium Battery Guidance Document, which has been updated for 2023. The latest version is based on the provisions set out in the 2023-2024 edition of the ICAO (ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air) and the 64^th Edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR).

The Document provides guidance for complying with provisions regarding the transportation of lithium (ion and metal) by air.

Some of the changes in the 2023 edition include:

• Clarification of the lithium battery test summary requirements
• Updated classification flow charts for both Lithium-ion and Lithium-metal
• Reference to the new Lithium Battery Mark, without the telephone number
• Updated and New Q&A/FAQ
• Clarification of the edition of the UN Manual and Criteria to be referenced for the testing of lithium batteries

Note that this Guidance Document does not replace training required. It is intended to supplement and aid in the transport process.

2023 National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

As recently announced, the 10^th Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction will occur May 1-5, 2023 and we wanted to alert you to the following tools and resources to assist workplaces in preparing for and participating in the Stand-Down:

• 2023 Stand-Down officially announced:
  • February 15, 2023 OSHA QuickTakes
• Resources for Planning:
  • Suggestions to Prepare for a Successful Stand-Down
  • Resources for Employers and Employees
• NEW Handouts for Workers:
  • Hardhat Stickers and Hazard Alert Cards
• Get Involved:
  • Do you have fall prevention resources in other languages? We would love to include them in our Fall Prevention Resources: Other Languages Page. Please send resources to Jessica Bunting: [email protected]

As a reminder, anyone who wants to prevent hazards in the workplace can participate in the Stand-Down. Companies can conduct a Safety Stand-Down by taking a break to have a toolbox talk or another safety activity such as conducting safety equipment inspections, developing rescue plans, or discussing job specific hazards. See Highlights from the Past Stand-Downs and reports evaluating previous events.

Why many organizations are retiring the Hard Hat….

The battle lines have been drawn, between those who believe that the old sturdy iconic hard hat should be the primary form and head protection and those who believe that the hard hat needs to report to the Smithsonian for duty.  Many times, this debate gets heated.  I am amazed at the anger of some who claim they will quit the profession if forced to wear a helmet vs a hard hat.  Additionally, I am stunned at some safety professionals who protect the hard hat usage based on cost and culture and not safety performance.  When faced with this vitriol I believe its because someone has not taken the time to educate both groups as to the why behind this movement.

Last year 850 workers died from falls.  An additional 240,000 were injured from falls.  Over the past 5 years that amounts to 4,213 fatalities and 1.2 Million injuries.  According to the CDC traumatic brain injuries account for 47% of all fall fatalities.  Imagine if we could have saved almost half of the fatalities and injuries?  How many families would still have their husband or wife and kids have their parents?

Read more >> https://ihmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hard-hat-3-21-2023.pdf

OECD eChemPortal updated with latest ECHA data

ECHA’s data on more than 1.3 million endpoints for 26 500 substances registered under REACH is now available for search on the eChemPortal.

OECD eChemPortal

Send us questions on the restriction proposal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
Webinar, 5 April 2023, 11:00-13:00 Helsinki time

You can now send us and the five national authorities questions on the proposal itself and the REACH restriction process.

We will respond to the most frequently asked questions during the info session on 5 April from 11:00 to 13:00. We have also added the programme of the session to the webinar page.

The six-month consultation on the proposed restriction of PFAS will start on 22 March 2023. The consultation is open for anyone to give evidence-based comments on the restriction proposal.

Keep following our news to stay updated and ask your colleagues to subscribe to our news as well.

Send questions | More

Top EPA Advisor Seeks To Address Compliance Concerns In New Rules

Former Obama-era EPA enforcement chief Cynthia Giles, now back at the agency as a senior advisor to the air office, is once again touting the benefits of her NextGen compliance concept — and urging that EPA’s rule writers be forced to formally incorporate consideration of compliance issues into their regulations to avoid poor results.

Speaking in a personal capacity on a March 9 webinar hosted by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), Giles expanded on the principles she advocates in her book on NextGen concepts, titled Next Generation Compliance.

The idea is based on making rules easier to implement without resorting to a small and overstretched enforcement staff at EPA or other institutions, through a variety of practical steps. Giles again warned that serious non-compliance with environmental rules by companies is in fact far higher than some rule-writers imagine, and that this requires a shift in mentality among those crafting regulations.

Improving compliance requires that rule writers should be compelled to consider implementation design as a formal step in the process, in the same way that benefit-cost analysis considerations are mandatory aspects of crafting a regulation, Giles said.

“We need to have structural design things . . . that insist on these topics being looked at,” Giles said.

Merely writing rules and hoping that industry will comply with them on an “honor system” will never work, Giles said. EPA cannot just “write down a standard, and hope for the best,” because relying on the honor system is “doomed.”

–Inside EPA

EPA Says TRI Data Shows Falling Chemical Releases, But Risk Models Vary

EPA’s latest analysis of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data says overall releases reported to the program for 2021 are still below pre-pandemic levels but increased from 2020, although modeled risk scores for water releases suggest those incidents may include larger share of more-toxic chemicals than the prior year.

EPA’s latest annual national analysis, released March 16, also includes a first-time profile on the plastics industry, which an EPA official said could aid review of the sector’s lifecycle impacts by the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), which administers both TRI and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) — though she gave no details on why OPPT might pursue such a project.

According to EPA’s report, the analysis of 2021 TRI data shows a 10 percent decrease from 2012 levels in disposal and other types of releases by reporting facilities, though that decrease has not been constant over the decade.

“Reduced releases to air from electric utilities were the most significant contributor to the decline,” the agency says.

Total air releases between 2012 and 2021 “decreased by 26%, surface water discharges decreased by 10%, on-site land disposal decreased by 5%, and off-site disposal decreased by 6%,” the analysis states. It adds that during that decade the “number of facilities that reported to TRI declined by 5%.”

Within the 2021 data, the analysis says, just eight “chemicals made up 73% of total releases,” with zinc the single highest contributor at 17 percent of the total, followed by lead at 14 percent and arsenic at 10 percent.

–Inside EPA

EPA Takes Steps To Assuage Reliability Concerns From Power Sector Rules

The Biden EPA is taking several steps to assuage concerns that its suite of rules for power plants could threaten electric grid reliability, seeking to counter what is emerging as a key talking point from critics of the air, water and waste regulations.

Headlining the effort is a formal agreement with the Energy Department (DOE) to consult about the possible reliability effects of EPA’s rules, even as the agency is also including specific provisions in individual rules themselves to address the issue:

“All of those [rules] we are doing through the lens of affordability and reliability,” said Administrator Michael Regan, during a March 9 appearance at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, where he outlined the MOU he signed the same day with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The MOU commits EPA and the DOE to consult about reliability effects of actions taken under the administration’s clean energy agenda.

“A reliable electric power system is essential to our national security, continued economic growth and the protection of public health. That’s why DOE and EPA are uniting our long-standing efforts to ensure a robust and resilient system, especially as the power sector accelerates the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy sources,” Regan said in a written statement.

–Inside EPA

OSHA’s Safe + Sound Campaign is a nationwide opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the value of proactive occupational safety and health (OSH) programs in all workplaces. Look for the 2023 Safe+Sound program in August this year.

Safe + Sound emphasizes the need for safety programs at small- and mid-sized businesses, which are more likely to have limited resources dedicated to safety. As you know, effective OSH programs can help organizations identify and manage workplace risk before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Safety and health management systems are a critical best practice to ensure that OSH programs achieve significant results and lower risk exposure.

Earn a Challenge Coin

Workers are an important resource for identifying workplace hazards and implementing changes. Safety reporting systems allow ideas and suggestions for improving safety to be captured.

Take the Speak Up for Safety Challenge! Review your safety reports with a team to find common themes and opportunities to improve your overall workplace safety and health performance.

Complete the challenge and earn your virtual challenge coin! Then, share the results in your workplace and on social media to show how you encourage workers to #SpeakUpForSafety to be #SafeAndSoundAtWork.

Your Partner Punch List

We would appreciate if you could support Safe + Sound by doing the following:

• Promote the Speak Up for Safety Challenge to your stakeholders

Sponsored Content

A Collaborative Culture

There are 885 different conversations going on in the IHMM/HMS Collaboration platform this week.

A collaborative culture is important for every business but is especially important for our hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environment, health, and safety communities of practice. Do you have a problem you need to solve and want the opinions of your colleagues? This is where we come together to help each other.

IHMM credentialed professionals are at the top 1% of their professions and their reach is global. We are at the forefront of environmental protection, health, and safety and this is where collaborating with the best people in their fields, always willing to help one another, lessens the stress of our jobs, and where we strive as a team to make a difference of which we are proud.

We opened COLLABORATION to enable thousands of certificants and supporters to collaborate together. You can collaborate here.

Access to COLLABORATION is through the same username/password you use to access your MYIHMM account. Having a problem? Contact Jimmy Nguyen at [email protected]

Columbia Southern University

The Hazardous Materials Society [HMS] is a partner of Columbia Southern University. Columbia Southern University is an online university based in Orange Beach, Alabama, that strives to change and improve lives through higher education by enabling students to maximize their professional and personal potential.

A subsidiary of Columbia Southern Education Group, CSU offers online degree programs at the associate, bachelor, master, doctorate or certificate levels in a multitude of areas such as occupational safety and health, fire administration, criminal justice, business administration, human resource management, health care administration and more. CSU also features undergraduate and graduate certificate programs to provide focused training in specialized areas for adult learners.

Click on the CSU graphic at left and learn more about the professional development and degree program opportunities at CSU.

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