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. There are Kryterion centers available world-wide and we also offer remotely-proctored testing wherever you are.
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.
Phone: 301-984-8969 | [email protected]
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
IHMM Today is an online publication of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
Other than content specifically provided by IHMM, articles contained in IHMM Today are compiled from independent sources and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of IHMM.
IHMM Credential Recognition
Below you will see the 8 credential badges that are now in each 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.
IHMM Certificant Recognition
This week IHMM 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.
This week we thank our certificants again. Throughout our certificant’s MYIHMM accounts are 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.
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IHMM UPDATES
Need Help? On the IHMM website just click on the “NEED HELP?” button and let us know what you need and the right person will get right back with you.
IHMM Board Nominations for 2021 Open
IHMM Board Nominations for 2021 OpenThis newsletter opens the 2021 Board Nominations season. In 2021 we have one position open, the CHMP representative, open for a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2022.
This process is guided by the IHMM Nominating Committee, chaired by Nathan Phelan > https://ihmm.org/nominating-committee/ We appreciate our Nominating Committee volunteers’ work working through the following documents and reviews before coming to a proposed slate of nominees.
- 2021 IHMM Nominations and Elections Process
- 2021 IHMM Call for Nominations
- 2021 IHMM Fillable Nominations Form
This announcement is the Call for Nominations. ONLY CHMPs may participate in this year’s process as the position is for a CHMP representative on the Board. IHMM will hold this phase of the process open through June 30, 2021, when it will then close to further nominations.
The Nominating Committee will review nomination documents, interview nominees, perform a series of background checks, and then deliberate on a proposed slate of nominees through August 13, 2021. After August 31, 2021, the proposed slate will go to the IHMM Board for review at its September meeting.
The CHMP representative’s elections will begin on October 1, 2021, and run through October 29, 2021. The winning nominee will be announced during the week of November 5, 2021, for a term to commence on January 1, 2022.
To nominate a CHMP for this position, use only the
Thank you.
Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive
Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More ProductiveToo many companies bet on having a cut-throat, high-pressure, take-no-prisoners culture to drive their financial success.
But a large and growing body of research on positive organizational psychology demonstrates that not only is a cut-throat environment harmful to productivity over time, but that a positive environment will lead to dramatic benefits for employers, employees, and the bottom line.
Although there’s an assumption that stress and pressure push employees to perform more, better, and faster, what cutthroat organizations fail to recognize is the hidden costs incurred.
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.
PLEASE GO HERE TO PARTICIPATE: https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/
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!
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Under H.R. 2171 those pursuing or who already have private credentials may use their Section 529 savings for applications, examinations, professional development/certification maintenance points costsrecertification, and so on.
The “Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act” will enable those who seek professional, post-secondary credentials from institutions recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. A copy of the draft legislation is here.
Spanberger co-led the introduction of the legislation alongside U.S. Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI-06), Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01). A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Braun (R-IN).
PFAS industry trends, sampling protocols, and analytical testing challenges with Taryn McKnight of Eurofins.
PFAS is one of the hottest topics in the industry. Can you say Parts Per Quadrillion! In this episode, we talk with Taryn McKnight, the PFAS Practice Leader for Eurofins. We cover PFAS regulatory concerns related to how States and the EPA are addressing this emerging contaminant of concern. We dig into laboratory testing and sampling challenges as well as the need for more defined analytical testing methods. Other topics covered include the need for more product and toxicological testing, and a more thorough understanding of PFAS chemistries and health exposure effects. And finally, we discuss all the potential environmental impacts and liabilities associated with PFAS contamination. This is a must-listen episode if you are in the Environmental Industry!
Become a Mentor
One way to contribute to IHMM’s communities of practice is to become a mentor. Helping to guide applicants or newly certified professionals with your wealth of experience means we grow the most important element of our communities – our people. We already have 8 mentors signed up and always look for more and we thank the 8 who have come forward thus far.
Becoming a mentor is easy, though it requires a commitment of some time that the mentor controls and is done through IHMM’s Collaboration platform.
- Go to Collaboration > https://community.ihmm.org/home
- See the toolbar where it says MENTOR MATCH, click on it
- See the drop-down menu…as follows…
4. Click on ENROLL AS A MENTOR. Mentors fill out the areas of issue interests most closely resemble their background, decide how long a period of time they wish to be a mentor, how much time they prefer to mentor others, how many mentees they are willing to work with, and how they wish to communicate with mentees.
5. Those who are looking for mentors simply click on ENROLL AS A MENTEE, and fill out a simple form of issue interests as well. Having done that the system matches a mentees issue interests with the mentor’s issue interests and the match is made.
Give it a try. Those who enroll as Mentors can earn up to 10 Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs] per year.
Anyone who needs assistance with becoming a Mentor or a Mentee need only click on the I NEED HELP button on the IHMM website and a member of the staff will be happy to assist you. https://ihmm.org/we-can-help-here/
DGTA – Virtual Dangerous Goods Conference – May 11, 2021
DGTA – Virtual Dangerous Goods Conference – May 11, 20213pm-9pm London time (11am-5pm New York)
Cost: $49 member; $99 non-member (includes $50 credit toward membership)
Tentative Agenda
WELCOME
Scott Dunsmore, acting chairperson
FREIGHT FORWARDING, THIRD-PARTY PACKING, and DANGEROUS GOODS
Exploration of the relationships between shippers and those who perform some compliance functions on behalf of the shippers, including how different regulations handle things, differently.
TRAINER SKILLS IN A PANDEMIC, AND BEYOND
- Live, hands-on, face-to-face training is the best, but when that’s not possible, how trainers can adapt to make e-training as effective as possible.
DANGEROUS GOODS CERTIFICATIONS
- The Certified Dangerous Goods Trainer (CDGT) and Certified Dangerous Goods Professional (CDGP) are independent indications of the excellence of one’s qualifications. How did they come about, where are they now, and what do we expect in the future?
An examination of how and why not all DGSAs are equivalent.
COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT (CBTA)
What does CBTA mean in Canada? Exploration of the history, current status, and expected future path.
For IATA/ICAO, CBTA is now in print in the air regulations. What can we expect on a practical basis, and will that differ around the globe?
REGULATORY PROCESS CHANGES
- Multiple factors, not just a pandemic, have changed the pace and manner of DG regulatory change. What were those factors, how did the regulators adjust, and how has the future of regulatory change been affected?
- What needs to change? Gathered from our trainees and customers, a DGTA perspective on some of the regulations that most need to be updated.
WRAP-UP
Scott Dunsmore
Pay here if you a current DGTA member ($49)
Pay here if you are a non-member ($99)
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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New Course Available on OFCCP’s Contractor Compliance Institute
New Course Available on OFCCP’s Contractor Compliance InstituteOFCCP has released a new course in the Contractor Compliance Institute for federal contractors and subcontractors (“contractors”). The new course, titled Compliance Evaluations, will help supply and service contractors better understand OFCCP’s compliance evaluation processes and procedures.
Some of the key items examined in this new course are:
- The types of compliance evaluations OFCCP is authorized to conduct
- OFCCP’s procedures for each of the four types of compliance evaluations:
- Compliance Checks
- Compliance Reviews
- Focused Reviews
- Off-Site Review of Records
OFCCP is committed to providing meaningful compliance assistance to contractors to ensure they know how to comply with their equal employment opportunity obligations. Find additional compliance assistance resources on OFCCP’s website.
IHMM & AHMP 45 in 5 Project – National Credential Recognition – 21 States Targeted
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! https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/
- The Washington state group is finalizing a communication to state officials in conjunction with the MTCA regulatory process underway there. Well done Erik Berg, Jerome Fields and the people in Washington state.
- There are 21 states that recognize the CHMM for phase I and phase II site assessments, though the 45 in 5 group is also looking at Small Business Administration [SBA] rules for these assessments to determine what we may need to do to gain SBA recognition as well.
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.
The Task Force meets again in late May.
IHMM & AHMP 45 in 5 – National Credential Recognition – Puerto Rico Added
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.
IHMM is pleased to announce that Erik Vega, CSHM, of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor, has become the 44th volunteer for the 45 in 5 project with a focus on Puerto Rico. We thank Erik for his willingness to contribute to and lead this effort in Puerto Rico on behalf of our CSHM and other credentials. Erik has identified government agencies and universities for us to work with. Thank you!
The Task Force webpage is here > https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/
The Task Force meets again in late May.
This is why the IHMM-AHMP 45 in 5 Project is Important to You. IHMM credentials are known and respected worldwide. Here are a few examples…
When Essity in Mannheim, Germany is looking for a Director of Regional Rick, Environment, Safety & Health, it looks for an IHMM CHMM
When Roche in Cape Town, South Africa is looking for a Manager of Safety, Health and the Environment, it looks for an IHMM CHMM
When Toyota North America looks for a Principal Engineer, Hazardous Materials and Chemical Management Regulations it looks for an IHMM CDGP
IHMM NEWS RECENT UPDATES
EPA Announces Plans to Expand Scope of TRI Reporting Requirements
Pres Biden Calls for Higher Taxes in Economic Plan
Your Written HazCom Program: How to Make Sure it’s OSHA Compliant
Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets
Pres Biden Creates Task Force on Worker Organizing and Increases Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors
The Importance of Tepid Water Delivery in Emergency Safety Stations
What’s New in Respiratory Protection
Evaluating Occupational Noise Exposures: The Effects of VOC Exposures
The Foundation of a Great Industrial Hygiene Program
Sustainable Industrial Protection Equipment
The Past, Present and Future of Respiratory PPE
Seeing the Big Picture: Identify Hazards and Assess Risk
IHMM is a member of the National Safety Council and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants
2021 Job Outlook
Opioids and the Workforce
OSHA Standards and the “competent person”
It’s Time to Rethink Incident Investigations
NSC Impact Tracks
The NSC Impact Tracks provide valuable educational opportunities for safety professionals looking to enhance their career, brush up on their skills and earn CEUs in the comfort of their home or office. This new virtual opportunity provides a day of topically focused education featuring five 60 minute technical sessions, lunch and stretch breaks, and an opening welcome from NSC President & CEO, Lorraine Martin. Each session will be taught by leading safety and subject experts in the field.
SAVE MY SPOT
NSC Webinars
May 5 – Top 5 OSHA Safety Training Topics
May 5 – Your Written HazCom Program: How to Make Sure it’s OSHA Compliant
May 6 – Permit Required Confined Space Entry – Reclassification
May 12 – How To Keep Employees Safe in 2021
May 13 – Metalworking Fumes: Using Filtration to Achieve Safety Compliance
May 19 – Accident Investigations: Finding and eliminating root causes
May 20 – Respiratory Protection Program: What OSHA’s Looking for and How to Protect Against New Hazards
May 20 – OH&S Industrial Hygiene Virtual Summit
May 26 –Webinar: New Administration, New Changes for OSHA
June 2 – Webinar: OSHA Safety Training – How to Make it Effective
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.
Download the Save the Date and share that you’ll be participating in Safe + Sound Week on social media using #SafeAndSoundAtAWork.
Registration opens in July and will be announced via IHMM Today and EHS Professional.
Spring Arrives with a Slate of Exciting
Virtual Events and Trainings
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to share information regarding a full slate of upcoming opportunities for chemical industry stakeholders to stay abreast of key regulatory developments both in the United States and internationally. We hope you will join B&C professionals, industry colleagues, and regulatory agency speakers for one or more of these events.
TSCA at Five Virtual Conference – June 30, 2021
This June marks the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the game-changing Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) that amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). With a new Administration and the relentless pace of regulatory developments related to Lautenberg implementation, there are many issues to consider and problems to solve.
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) are pleased to announce the fifth annual conference providing updates and insights regarding the current state of TSCA implementation, ongoing and emerging issues, and related developments. Topics will include how EPA is implementing Section 6 risk evaluation provisions, changes in new chemical review, existing chemical risk management provisions, and TSCA’s role in achieving environmental justice, among other topics.
As with our previous TSCA anniversary events, a stellar faculty of speakers from government, non-governmental organizations, industry, and academia will convene to inform, analyze, discuss, and debate the most pressing issues related to TSCA with regulatory practitioners and other stakeholder attendees.
Detailed program and registration information to come. SAVE THE DATE!
TSCA Tutor® On-Demand Virtual Training
Available 24/7/365
Enroll Online
B&C’s TSCA Tutor online e-training platform offers expert, efficient, essential TSCA training. Professionals seeking TSCA training can preview and enroll in on-demand classes to complete at their own pace and timing.
TSCA Tutor online training courses include:
• Video lessons.
• Detailed handout materials, including copies of all presentations and relevant course materials from EPA and other sources.
• Customizable, yet detailed and ready-to-use Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the regulatory topic covered in the session.
Interested professionals should visit www.TSCAtutor.com to view sample course segments and purchase modules. Volume discounts are available for companies wishing to purchase courses for multiple employees.
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.
Safety News: OSHA Leadership
Three Keys to Improving Your Fall Protection Training
House Passes Bill to Protect Healthcare and Social Services Workers
Support Remote Workers
ASSP Webinars
ONLINE COURSE: Implementing ISO 45001 Course – May 6-June 3, 2021
ONLINE COURSE: Internal OHSMS Auditing Using ISO 45001 – May 6-June 10, 2021
Live Virtual Classroom: Advanced Safety Management Methods – May 10-12, 2021
Live Virtual Classroom: Managing Safety and Health – May 11-12, 2021
ONLINE COURSE: Prevention through Design – May 13-June 10, 2021
IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to provide this information to all of our certificants.
HMS UPDATES
HMS Donations
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.
HMS Education and Training
Hazardous Materials Society now has 12,021 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. 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. SEE: https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/
HMS Affinity Programs – CINTAS Uniforms
Reaching more than 127,000 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: https://mynpp.com/association/hms/
IHMM/HMS Coronavirus Resources
IHMM/HMS Coronavirus ResourcesIn 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 – April 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.
State Vaccination Distribution Plans
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.
HMS Jobs Board
We invite our participating companies to post their available employment opportunities here. There is no charge for this service. HMS staff reviews each proposed posting for clarity and completeness before posting to the public view and may remove a posting without notice.
Senior Environmental Scientist-ESC-Sacramento
PG&E, Sacramento, CA. Safety, Health, and Environment, Standards and Programs group is committed to full environmental compliance and establishing our position as an environmental leader to support the companies’ vision to become the leading utility in the United States. We are undertaking numerous initiatives to put our environmental values to work – while at the same time delighting our customers, energizing our employees and rewarding our shareholders.
Environmental Protection Specialist
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas U.S.
Dangerous Goods Expert
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.
A Collaborative Culture
There are 399 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
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 the first few conferences we have coming up early in 2021.
AHMP 2021 National Conference
July 25-28, 2021
Sheraton Kansas City at Crown Center
Kansas City, Missouri
College & University Hazardous Materials Management Conference
August 7-12, 2021
Denver, Colorado
This conference is currently planned as being entirely virtual.
ASSP Safety21 Conference & Expo
September 13-15, 2021
Austin, Texas
This is a hybrid conference of both virtual and in-person events
IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Beltway Buzz – Ogletree & Deakins
President Biden Releases American Families Plan. This week, the White House released an outline of its American Families Plan, which is being touted as the second phase of the administration’s infrastructure proposal (dubbed the “American Jobs Plan”). The American Families Plan would invest $1.8 trillion in education (including training for teachers), federal nutrition programs, childcare, and extending tax credits. Like the infrastructure proposal, the American Families Plan is not a bill (yet), but will rather serve as a first step in what is sure to be a lengthy legislative process. Here are some of its highlights:
- Education. The administration proposes allotting $309 billion to fund free universal pre-school for three and four-year-olds, and two years of free community college.
- Paid Family Leave. The proposal calls for “a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.” There are scant details regarding scope of coverage and who is eligible. The proposal is similarly silent with regard to funding of the program but implies that it will be taxpayer- (as opposed to employer- or employee-) funded. The White House’s Fact Sheet states: “We estimate this program will cost $225 billion over a decade.”
- Paid Sick Leave. The proposal potentially includes the Healthy Families Act, which would require employers with 15 or more employees to allow employees to accrue up to 7 days of paid sick leave per year.
- Unemployment Insurance. The outline states that the president “wants to work with Congress to automatically adjust the length and amount of UI benefits unemployed workers receive depending on economic conditions.”
- Child Care. Families’ child care costs would be capped under the proposal. Additionally, the proposal states that “[a]ll employees in participating pre-K programs and Head Start will earn at least $15 per hour.”
The American Families Plan proposes paying for itself through $1.5 trillion in tax hikes, expanded financial reporting, and increased Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement (which will “focus on large corporations, businesses, and estates, and higher-income individuals”). At this early stage, it is hard to predict what strategy Democrats will use to advance the American Families Plan and where the proposal might end up. However, as the Buzz has discussed, it appears that Democrats have been given authority to use the budgetary reconciliation process at least twice more this calendar year, and they likely did not seek that determination just for the fun of it.
White House Establishes Task Force to Encourage Union Organizing. On April 26, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order titled “Executive Order on Worker Organizing and Empowerment” establishing “within the Executive Office of the President the Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment.” Vice President Harris will chair the task force, Secretary of Labor Walsh will serve as vice chair, and the remaining members will consist of additional cabinet secretaries and other political appointees. The task force is instructed to recommend “statutory, regulatory, or other changes that may be necessary to make policies, practices, and programs more effective means of supporting worker organizing and collective bargaining.” The executive order instructs the task force to focus on four major areas: promoting “worker power in areas of the country with hostile labor laws, … marginalized workers (including women and persons of color) and hard-to-organize industries, and … changing industries.” Additionally, though not specifically identified in the executive order, President Biden’s campaign website promised that such a group would “consider whether there are very specific areas where the federal government could waive preemption of the National Labor Relations Act to allow cities and states to pursue innovative ways to increase union organizing and collective bargaining” and to “further explore the expansion of sectoral bargaining, where all competitors in an industry are engaged in collective bargaining with a single or multiple unions.”
ETA of ETS? Very Soon. This week the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent its long-anticipated COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). At this stage in the process, the text of the regulation is not publicly available. Of course, this means that there is much speculation about its contents. For example, the chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (better known as Cal/OSHA), Doug Parker, was on President Biden’s labor transition team and has been nominated to run OSHA. Does this mean that the ETS will use California’s standard as a model? There is further speculation that OSHA may apply multiple standards to different industries. Regardless, the Buzz expects a quick turnaround and approval by OIRA.
EO Increases Minimum Wage on Federal Contractors. Several weeks ago, the Buzz discussed President Biden’s instructions to his administration “to start the work that would allow him to issue an Executive Order within the first 100 days that requires federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage and provide emergency paid leave to workers.” Well, right at the 100 day deadline, on April 27, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that will require federal contractors and subcontractors to pay $15.00 per hour to employees working on federal contracts. Leigh M. Nason and Evelyn A. Norton have the details.
Senate Hearing on DOL, NLRB Nominees. On April 29, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) held confirmation hearings for Jennifer Abruzzo (nominated to be general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board) and Seema Nanda (nominated to be solicitor of labor). Republican senators asked both nominees about their positions on joint employment and raised questions about potential recusal and ethics issues concerning Abruzzo’s potential future participation in cases involving the Communication Workers of America, for which she served as special counsel. Committee Ranking Member Burr (R-NC) had some tough questions for Abruzzo about her role on the Biden transition team and potential participation in the decision to fire Peter Robb. Senate Democrats have the numbers, so there is a good chance that Abruzzo will get confirmed. But the hearing was further evidence that the termination of former general counsel Peter Robb and subsequent appointment of Abruzzo will be an on-going point of political contention.
EEOC Update. It was a busy week for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), to wit:
- The EEO-1 reporting portal opened on April 26, 2021. Covered employers will have until July 19, 2021, to file their EEO-1 reports. As we’ve noted before, the required filing consists only of EEO-1 Component 1, which does not include employee wage and hours worked data. James A. Patton, Jr. and Kiosha H. Dickey have the details.
- Related to EEO-1 reports, the EEOC has returned to a practice of sharing EEO reports with state fair employment practices agencies.
- On April 28, 2021, the Commission held a hearing entitled, “Workplace Civil Rights Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Twelve witnesses testified about the pandemic’s outsized impact on women (including farm workers), individuals with disabilities, Asian Americans, Native Americans, older workers, and employers. The hearing is expected to lay the groundwork for forthcoming EEOC guidance relating to vaccines, and whether employers can lawfully offer their employees incentives to get vaccinated.
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss. It was reported this week that President Biden may tap Brandeis University professor David Weil to run the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Weil served in the same position for much of President Obama’s second term and is known for his theory of the “fissured workplace.” During his time as administrator, Weil also issued sweeping “administrator’s interpretations” that expanded joint-employer liability and limited the test for independent contractor status.
PHMSA – Hazardous Materials: Notice of Public Meetings in 2021 for International Standards on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
PHMSA – Hazardous Materials: Notice of Public Meetings in 2021 for International Standards on the Transport of Dangerous GoodsSUMMARY: The notice announces that PHMSA’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety will host four public meetings during 2021 in advance of certain international meetings.
- The first meeting will be held in preparation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP) Working Group 21 (WG/21) virtual meeting scheduled for May 24– 28, 2021.
- The second meeting will be held in preparation of the 58th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCOE TDG) scheduled for June 28 to July 2, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The third meeting will be held in preparation of the ICAO DGP 28 Meeting (DGP/28) scheduled for September 27 to October 1, 2021.
- The fourth meeting will be held in preparation of the 59th session of the UNSCOE TDG scheduled for November 29 to December 8, 2021. For each of these meetings, PHMSA will solicit public input on current proposals.
Public notices will be published in the Federal Register prior to the public meetings conducted by the International Standards Group.
PHMSA International Program Overview
Federal Register Notice > https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-04-02/pdf/2021-06871.pdf
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/
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