IHMM Today May 2, 2023

INSIDE IHMM

IHMM at COSTHA This Week

IHMM is in booth #26 at the 2023 COSTHA Annual Forum and Expo, Dallas-Frisco Hotel & Convention Center, Frisco, Texas. Stop by and say hello to Kortney and Patricia!

Washington State University – Tri Cities Joins the IHMM Student CHMM Program

IHMM Board of Directors Nominations

IHMM Directors and Officers are volunteers who serve without pay. They may serve up to two, four-year terms. Directors are responsible for the governance of IHMM, including establishing the overall direction of IHMM, the appointment of Executive Director, policy-making, and financial management.

IHMM has two Board seats expiring at the end of 2023. IHMM is soliciting candidates for these two seats; one an At-Large Director seat that may be held by a CHMM, CHMP, CDGP, CSHM or CSMP. One a CSMP Director seat that must be held by a CSMP.

The composition of the present Board is here > https://ihmm.org/board-of-directors/

Qualified candidates may submit nomination papers [self nomination is acceptable] on or before June 30, 2023. The documents for this announcement, procedures, and nomination form are here:

• 2024 IHMM Nominations and Elections Process

• 2024 IHMM Call for Nominations

• 2024 IHMM Fillable Nominations Form

IHMM Excellence in EHS Management Award

The Excellence in EHS Management Award recognizes an individual who has excelled in their role as an EHS manager. The Institute for Hazardous Materials Management [IHMM] will present the award at the annual National Safety Council Expo.

The honoree will receive a commemorative plaque and be recognized in a press release and in IHMM member communications. Travel expenses to the award ceremony will be subsidized. If traveling from overseas IHMM will pay travel expenses from the nearest port of entry.

Nominations will be accepted from March through July of each year and the presentation to the winner will be in conjunction with the National Safety Council Congress and Expo, this year on October 23-25, 2023 in New Orleans.

Make your nominations here >>  https://ihmm.org/ehs-management-award/

See previous award winners here >> https://ihmm.org/past-honorees/

IHMM Needs Volunteers

“There’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” — Jimmy Doolittle. We all benefit from the expertise, knowledge sharing, content creation and mentoring that our volunteer leaders share with our communities of practice.

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, We need volunteers in these 16 states – Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. 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.
• > https://ihmm.org/government-affairs-committee/

IHMM Certifications in Development Update

• The Certified School Safety Manager [CSSM] credential has now had its examination questions loaded into the Kryterion system and we will be ready to deliver exams for this important credential. The draft website is here > https://ihmm.org/cssm/  and the only element left to complete is a 60-second video.
• The Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist [CPPS] credential had a review by the IHMM Board on April 21st and IHMM will be able to start to build the website. The examination questions for the CPPS exam are being loaded into the Kryterion system at this writing. Dan Blankfeld and Gene Guilford have met with the Maryland Congressional delegation on this credential and look forward to more meetings.
• The Associate Hazardous Materials Manager [AHMM] credential had a review by the IHMM Board on April 21st and other than an edit to the professional experience section of an option for eligibility, this credential’s examination questions are completed and is scheduled for launch by Memorial Day, 2023.

A Collaborative Culture

There are 956 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]

• ECHA provides advice on new hazard classes for substances and mixtures

• New substance evaluation conclusion published for CoRAP substance

• Assessment of regulatory needs reports published

• New proposals to harmonise classification and labelling

• Ad hoc consultation on harmonised classification and labelling

• Annual report 2022 published

• WEBINAR — TOP TSCA TOPICS: Cumulative Risk, NAMs, Risk Evaluations, CBI, And More!, May 17, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), Via Webinar: Panelists Anna Lowit, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®), will discuss New Approach Methodologies (NAM), cumulative risk assessment methodologies, systematic review procedures, new approaches to new chemical reviews, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) reporting, and confidential business information (CBI) protections. Register now.
• RECORDED WEBINAR ON-DEMAND — “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations”: Panelists discuss the history and evolution of EPR legislation, expected developments that will affect the chemical and chemical product industry, and what companies need to know to prepare for these changes. Panelists included LeRoy (Lee) C. Paddock, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School; Edith G. Nagy, Regulatory Consultant, B&C; and Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C. Watch now.

EPA Releases Congressional Justification For FY 2024 Budget: EPA has posted the justification for its fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriation estimates for the Committee on Appropriations (Congressional Justification (CJ)). According to the CJ, EPA’s FY 2024 budget includes $470.7 million and 1,677 full-time equivalents (FTE) for Objective 7.1, “Ensure Chemical and Pesticide Safety.” The CJ includes the following target dates for actions under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):

• By September 30, 2026, complete at least eight high-priority substance TSCA risk evaluations annually within statutory timelines compared to the FY 2020 baseline of one;
• By September 30, 2026, initiate all TSCA risk management actions within 45 days of the completion of a final existing chemical risk evaluation; and
• By September 30, 2026, review 90 percent of risk management actions for past TSCA new chemical substances reported to the 2020 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule compared to the FY 2021 baseline of none.

EPA Will Hold GenRA Training On May 23, 2023: EPA will hold training on May 23, 2023, on Generalized Read-Across (GenRA), a publicly available tool that uses an automated approach to make reproducible read-across predictions of toxicity. EPA states that read-across “is a commonly used data gap filling technique whereby endpoint information for one substance is used to predict the same endpoint for another substance, supported by structural or other feature similarities.” Specifically targeted for decision-makers, EPA has divided the training into two parts to accommodate a variety of interests and schedules. Registration for one or both sessions is free but required.

• Session 1 (Presentation and Questions and Answers (Q&A)) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (EDT)

This session will provide an overview of GenRA content and function with opportunities for participation and Q&A.

• Session 2 (Breakout Sessions) 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (EDT)

This session will break participants into breakout rooms to work on exercises in small groups, aided by facilitators.

Key Democrat Outlines Tests For Permit Bill As Senate Launches Debate

A key Democratic senator is outlining tests for any bipartisan deal on permit streamlining legislation, arguing such a bill must ensure overall greenhouse gas cuts, boost community engagement, and create certainty for the clean energy sector.

Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) cited these threshold issues at an April 26 hearing that showcased suggestions for possible Hill action, as well as continued divisions about the role of fossil fuels and whether major changes to environmental laws are necessary to speed clean energy or other projects.

“To me, it is clear that we are at a crossroads,” Carper said in his opening remarks. “We need to find a way to bring a massive amount of clean energy onto our grid to mitigate the climate crisis. At the same time, we must make sure communities have a voice in the build-out of critical infrastructure.”

The hearing signaled the formal start of EPW’s discussions on possible permitting legislation, with the issue also scheduled to come up during a Senate energy panel hearing next month. Attention has shifted to the Senate after House Republicans approved a sweeping energy measure with multiple permit streamlining components.

EPW ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in her opening statement said: “I do appreciate your willingness to start this conversation in the committee,” and she cited efforts to pursue bipartisan solutions “in the coming months.”

But Capito also warned that “window-dressing the existing failed system is not an option, we’re not getting anywhere.”

–Inside EPA

EPA’s ‘Community Risk’ Method Marks Step Toward Cumulative Approach

EPA has crafted a novel “community-based” risk assessment as part of its plan strengthening air toxics standards for a broad swath of the chemical industry, a measure that environmentalists view as a step toward broader cumulative assessments that are a top priority for addressing environmental justice (EJ).

But the first-time assessment did not yield different findings than traditional air-toxics risk methods and was not the basis for the recently proposed rule.

The community risk method is “a step in the right direction, as it better acknowledges and assesses the actual risk that communities face,” says one environmental attorney. But the attorney adds that while the community review provided useful risk information, “it did not have the same regulatory force of a traditional residual risk review.”

At issue is EPA’s proposed rule setting stricter air toxics standards under the national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) sector, which was published in the Federal Register April 25.

The agency plan, more commonly referred to as the hazardous organic chemical NESHAP or HON, also tightens air emissions limits in the polymers and resins production sectors, and makes changes to new source performance standards (NSPS) for various facilities. The primary chemicals of concern targeted by the rules are the carcinogenic solvent ethylene oxide (EtO) and also the synthetic rubber component chloroprene.

–Inside EPA

States Charge EPA ‘Contingency’ Guide Fails To Ensure Air Act Compliance

State air regulators are strongly criticizing EPA draft guidance outlining “contingency measures” required in their plans to meet federal air quality standards, charging that it will not ensure Clean Air Act compliance, fails to address mobile source pollution beyond their control and creates a “perverse” need to withhold beneficial measures.

In its April 24 comments, the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), which represents air agencies in 40 states, says the group “reached out to EPA during development of the draft contingency measures (CMs) guidance to identify areas of concern” after key litigation in California on the issue.

“However, the manner in which EPA addresses our concerns in the draft guidance falls short in significant ways that will make it difficult, if not impossible, for many state and local air agencies to meet EPA’s expectations and, more importantly, to fulfill their statutory responsibilities under the Clean Air Act (CAA).”

But environmental justice advocates charge that the draft guide is not strict enough and “fails to prioritize the President’s commitment to environmental justice.”

The March 17 draft guidance made several changes to the agency’s policy regarding CMs that must be included in state implementation plans (SIPs) for meeting national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter (PM) if they miss attainment milestones or their ultimate attainment date.

–Inside EPA

EPA Readies Power Plant GHG Limits After Suite Of Other Major Rules

EPA officials are readying a major package of greenhouse gas standards for power plants just weeks after they unveiled proposed climate standards for passenger vehicles and heavy trucks, with both sets of rules expected to be a crucial factor in the country’s overall GHG emissions trajectory.

The burst of significant climate rules comes as the agency is continuing to develop a package of other rules limiting conventional air and water pollutants from power plants, measures that are expected to put additional economic pressure on coal-fired plants in particular.

In addition, the agency has recently proposed a suite of other rules targeting air toxics emissions from sterilizers and various chemical manufacturers.

But the imminent GHG standards for power plants are likely to garner significant attention, with sources saying EPA will base its requirements on the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology:

One energy policy expert told Inside EPA that a GHG standard for coal plants based on the use of CCS is attractive to EPA in part because such retrofits can fetch plants at least $85 per ton of carbon dioxide captured under an enhanced tax incentive from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

–InsideEPA

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. Mark your calendars! Safe + Sound Week will take place from August 7-13, 2023. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe. Registration for Safe + Sound Week opens in early July.  We look forward to your participation!

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

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

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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