Proud to Stand With Our Military
You’ve learned some special skills while serving our country. As you consider your options after the service, now is the time to consider a private certification that respects your skills and sends a strong signal to private sector employers about the skills you have and how those skills translate into civilian life.IHMM participates in the military service branch’s Credential Online [COOL] program to help you. Check these DoD sites for your branch and how we can work with you to make the very most of your transition to civilian life. Visit these sites for more information that benefits You. You earned it.
If you require any assistance from IHMM please contact James E. Drosdak [USAF] at [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 | [email protected]
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
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.
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IHMM Survey
IHMM presents this brief, four-question survey for you to fill out. This survey collects information on our services to certificants, so your feedback is important to serve you better.
Please go to this link >> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IHMMSeptember
Thank you!
IHMM Credential Recertification – College Courses
Every five years after initial certification, every IHMM credential holder needs to recertify their credential. Over these five years, credential holders need to earn at least 200 Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs]. One earns 100 CMPs for the job they hold, and then need to earn at least another 100 CMPs through engaging in a wide variety of professional development or service activities.
The IHMM Recertification process is described on the IHMM website here: https://ihmm.org/credentials/#recertification In reviewing this process one may also download and review the Recertification Claims Handbook https://ihmm.org/recertification-claims/ which describes all of the ways a certificant may earn CMPs.
Each week we’ll look at one or two items in depth to help everyone understand how to score and record Recertification Claims activities in your Online Recertification Application to keep recertifying simple.
This week we review the CMP claims for college courses on the Recertification Claims chart. These claims could only be valid if taken from an accredited college or university.
Read more here: Article on IHMM Recertification Claims Table
Become a Mentor
Become a MentorIHMM’s Collaboration platform provides CHMM’s the opportunity to become mentors to Student CHMMs. IHMM’s Student CHMM pilot program involves students from Columbia Southern University, where we already have 50 applicants, as well as Kennesaw State University that is kicking off their participation in the pilot program this fall.
Mentors may decide how many mentees they are willing to work with, for how long, and how they wish to be engaged. Mentors decide how many hours per week or month they can commit to becoming mentors.
This is a unique opportunity for CHMMs to work with students still in school and advise them on their courses of study as well as plan for their future as they graduate and look for opportunities in the job market toward a path to one day becoming a CHMM themselves.
Signing us is easy. As an IHMM CHMM, you are already allowed to go to the CHMM Community in Collaboration. https://community.ihmm.org/home
Once in the CHMM Community look for the Mentor Match part of the toolbar, click on it and see the drop-down menu. Read the simple instructions, then click on Enroll as a Mentor. Student CHMMs have the same menu in their Student CHMM Community where they enroll as a mentee. Students select the areas of mentoring they are looking for and when matched with the CHMM’s areas of expertise – the match is made!
CSU and KSU are both promoting the IHMM Student CHMM pilot program to their students. Once we have more experience in running this pilot as well as with the exam the students take, we will be able to go back to the IHMM Board next March and discuss how we expand the Student CHMM program to colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.
Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill giving Ohio schools, employers legal immunity from coronavirus lawsuits
Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill giving Ohio schools, employers legal immunity from coronavirus lawsuitsCOLUMBUS, Ohio—Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed legislation to temporarily give businesses, health-care workers and schools legal immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Republican backers of House Bill 606, which takes effect in 90 days and lasts through September 2021, say it’s needed to help reopen Ohio’s economy. The new law, they say, will make sure that school officials and employers won’t be scared to open out of fear they might play an unintentional role in helping spread the virus.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is seeking the same liability shield in federal law as has been passed in Ohio, though no legislation has advanced in the Senate as yet.
It’s Not Too Late!
This is a final reminder to please download your Safe + Sound Week certificate and challenge coin to recognize your participation and show your dedication to safety and health programs. Thank you for your suppo
rt!
10 Ways to Get Your Program Started
Safe + Sound Week may be over, but safety is ongoing and continuous. Implementing a meaningful safety and health program takes dedicated planning, but even incremental improvements are valuable. If you are not quite ready to implement a complete safety and health program, the 10 Ways to Get Your Program Started document provides simple steps you can use to build your safety and health program.
PSJ Article on Safety Management Standards
We thought you would be interested in this article from the ASSP [September 2020 issue] titled:
“…Safety Management Systems Standards and Guidelines – A Comparative Analysis…”
As IHMM has previously reported there is also a detailed document comparing the two standards coming out hopefully soon via both Z10 and the TAG. That is a very extensive document (approximately 45 pages when complete) and we know there is member interest in this issue.
Please review – We intend to contact the author (A. Michael Shekari), and see if he would be interested in doing a twenty/thirty-minute interview/webinar on his article.
New Handbook Helps SMEs Create Safe and Healthy Workplaces
Health and safety at work not only saves lives, it is essential to effective business performance. ISO 45001 is the first and only International Standard for occupational health and safety (OH&S) management, a result of agreed good practice from around the world. A new handbook has just been published to help small organizations get the most out of it.
Decent work is safe work, says the International Labour Organization, and few would disagree. Yet still, some 2.78 million people die from occupational-related accidents or diseases every year. Add to those hundreds of millions of non-fatal accidents and health conditions and it is clear that the cost to society and the economy is significant.
ISO 45001, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, aims to improve those statistics by providing an agreed framework to reduce workplace risks, enhance health, increase safety and promote well-being at work.
A new handbook, published jointly by ISO and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, provides additional guidance specifically to small organizations on the implementation of ISO 45001.
Prepared by the group of experts who developed the standard, ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety management systems – A practical guide for small organizations gives an overview of the requirements of ISO 45001 and outlines ways in which small organizations can establish an OH&S management system, taking into account their particular challenges and needs.
The benefits of such a system are many, including reduced risk of work-related ill-health and injury, greater protection for people who work with or for the organization, a more positive company culture, and an improved reputation amongst clients, suppliers and the community.
ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety management systems – A practical guide for small organizations can be purchased from your national ISO member or the ISO Store. IHMM is a member of ASSP and participates in the development of this important document.
IHMM ASHM Credential Adds Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona
IHMM Executive Director Eugene Guilford and ASHM Committee Chair Jan Rosenberg are pleased to announce that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, and its B.S. in Safety Management and its M.S. in Occupational Safety Management has been approved to be added to the Associate Safety and Health Manager [ASHM] credential program.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Embry-Riddle and its graduates in strengthening their career path. IHMM’s Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM ®) credential recognize professionals who are recent Bachelor’s degree graduates with a focus in health and safety-related fields. This credential puts the holder on the fast-track to the CSHM credential. With ASHM® on your resume, you tell employers you’re serious about a career in EHS Management.
With the addition of Embry-Riddle/Daytona, the ASHM committee has added 7 new colleges and universities to the ASHM program in the past two months. Well done all!
NCB: A Comprehensive Holistic Approach to Enhance Safety and Address the Carriage of
Undeclared, Misdeclared and Other Non-Complaint Dangerous Goods
The International Vessel Operators Dangerous Goods Association (IVODGA) and National Cargo Bureau (NCB) will be co-hosting a virtual meeting on October 6, 2020 at 10:00am (ET) with IVODGA members, shippers, regulators and other industry experts to discuss the recently released NCB White Paper titled: A Comprehensive Holistic Approach to Enhance Safety and Address the Carriage of Undeclared, Misdeclared and Other Non-Complaint Dangerous Goods.
Please follow the link to read the White Paper
NCB will kick off the meeting with a presentation of their white paper, led by Ian J. Lennard (NCB President). The discussion will then include panelists from various industry sectors. Each panelist, listed below, will provide their perspective on the paper, including any issues or concerns specific to their role in the transport of dangerous goods.
- Uffe Ernst-Frederiksen, Head of Cargo Management, Maersk A/S – HQ (representing IVODGA)
- John Hillin, Chief, Safety and Security Operations Sector NY, US Coast Guard
- Sean M. Dalton, CPCU, AMIM, Head of Marine Underwriting NA, RD-Specialty Lines-Ocean Marine, Munich Reinsurance America, Inc.
- Shipper Representative
Please take some time to read through the White Paper and submit any questions or comments that you may have to [email protected] no later than Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
The COVID-19 Vaccine: Now Is Time for Employers to Plan for Whether They Can, and Should, Require Employees to Be Vaccinated
A Gallup survey released earlier this month indicates that more than one in three Americans, specifically 35 percent, intend to decline to have any COVID-19 vaccine that ultimately is approved by the FDA — even if offered free of cost. That high percentage appears to be based upon the influence of the anti-vaxxer movement, as well as concerns about the fact that the vaccine may have been “fast-tracked” for approval and will be brand new and, therefore, lack a long track record of safe use.
A major concern with this large percentage of Americans who intend to forgo the vaccine is, according to experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, that the effectiveness rate of any vaccine is likely to be something materially below 100 percent. For instance, according to the CDC, the annual flu vaccine is typically somewhere between 40 and 60 percent effective. Therefore, those individuals rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine will increase the risk even for those who get the vaccine — given the fact that no one will be completely protected.
Read more >> https://www.natlawreview.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-now-time-employers-to-plan-whether-they-can-and-should-require
HMS Affinity Programs
Hazardous Materials Society has a series of affinity programs designed to save you money and make your lives a bit easier. Check out
•HMS Health Insurance for Small Businesses
Start saving money today on your auto and home insurance! HMS has joined Aetna, Meritain Health, and National General to offer small businesses the power of buying as a large business. This is where you could save money versus buying health insurance in the regular commercial market.
Here are some key features of our HMS member’s program:
- Exclusive discounts on group medical plans and voluntary benefits for groups of 2+ employees
- The types of discounts that only used to be available for large companies now being created for small to medium companies.
- Opportunities to receive premium refunds based on the performance of your group
- Telemedicine Benefit program included
- Wellness programs and services designed to help improve employee health, productivity and retention
- Leverage the numbers of IHMM/HMS members to create lower costs for you
A Collaborative Culture
There are 201 different conversations going on in the IHMM/HMS Collaboration platform this week. A collaborative culture is important for every business but is especially important for our hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environment, health, and safety communities of practice. IHMM credentialed professionals are at the top 1% of their professions and their reach is global. We are at the forefront of environmental protection, health, and safety and this is where collaborating with the best people in their fields, always willing to help one another, lessens the stress of our jobs and where we strive as a team to make a difference of which we are proud.
We opened COLLABORATION to enable thousands of certificants and supporters to collaborate together. You can collaborate here> https://community.ihmm.org/home
HMS Education and Training
Hazardous Materials Society now has 14,080 education and training programs on its website https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/ with more coming every week. Certificants will note that most of these programs carry a CMP value, making it easier to know in advance what to expect.
This is the center of education and training for IHMM certificants and prospective certificants. Among these more than 14.000 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/
Sponsored Content By Lion Technologies
Coronavirus Prevention & Control: Strategies for Employees
This course covers coronavirus related hazards at the intermediate level. Material covered includes information on workplace hazards ranging from those encountered by general workers to individuals who are required to work in environments that include individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. Students will learn to identify potential exposures in the workplace; identify the proper risk category for work activities; choose appropriate engineering controls for different risk categories; identify appropriate administrative controls for each risk category; select effective personal protective equipment for identified risk categories; and explore proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures for the workplace.
Coronavirus Prevention & Control: Strategies for Managers
This course covers coronavirus related hazards at the advanced level. The material covered will include information on assessing levels of risk in the workplace, identifying industries that have a high risk of COVID-19 exposure, and an in-depth presentation of virus control methods. Consideration will be given to applying safety management system approaches and identifying safety and health regulations that apply to COVID-19 exposure control.
This course is only available online and students may enroll in the course at any time. A Certificate of Completion and 2.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded upon successful completion of this course.
CE 1106- Coronavirus Facts: Understanding the Coronavirus
This course covers basic information on coronavirus-related hazards and how proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures at home or in the workplace may protect against COVID-19. This course will cover facts about COVID-19 and risks related to the virus. The material will guide users through proper cleaning and disinfecting techniques that prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within the home and workplace.
This course is only available online and students may enroll in the course at any time. A Certificate of Completion and 1.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded upon successful completion of this course.
COVID-19: Sampling Approaches for Healthy Buildings – Free Webinar
Golder’s EHS Professionals will discuss the various sampling approaches to keeping your buildings healthy in the midst of COVID-19.
Speakers:
Adelmarie Bones, Senior Industrial Hygienist
Dave Ayriss, Senior Occupational Hygienist and Associate
Jason McGonigle, EHS Senior Practice Leader and Principal
Moderator – Andreas Wagner, Principal and Practice Leader
Learning Objectives:
• Types of sampling available – what is out there, what are the approaches?
• Advantages and disadvantages of each sampling technique
• How to interpret the data
• Limitations of each sampling approach
• Other approaches to consider
OSHA National Safety Stand-Down – September 14-18, 2020
OSHA National Safety Stand-Down – September 14-18, 2020Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2018 (BLS data). Those deaths were preventable. The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.
Learn more about how you can participate in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction by going here.
National Safety Council’s Virtual Green Cross for Safety Awards
National Safety Council’s Virtual Green Cross for Safety AwardsOctober 1, 2020, from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm CT
Attendance is FREE – REGISTER HERE
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IHMM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
PCC Defense of Private Credentials
PCC Defense of Private CredentialsSkills Renewal Act-Federal
You may recall that, earlier this summer, the PCC launched a campaign (in coordination with PCC Steering Committee member ASAE) in support of the Skills Renewal Act, a bipartisan federal bill that would provide a $4,000 tax credit to workers displaced by the pandemic to attain skills training and credentials to permit them to seek/obtain gainful employment. We proposed amendments to the bill to ensure that the tax credit would cover certification exam expenses. Over a very active several week period, we had numerous conversations with legislative staff for the sponsors of the bill in the House and Senate, lobbied staff members on the key committees of jurisdiction, and transmitted a PCC letter announcing our support of the bill – subject to our proposed amendments, which were supported by the bill sponsors – to key Members of Congress. We also encouraged PCC members to send their own letters of support and to engage your memberships/certificants, as appropriate, to convey their support for the bill (subject to our proposed amendments) to their elected officials.
We are grateful for the support our membership demonstrated for this initiative and were pleased by the mostly positive feedback we received from Members of Congress and staff regarding our advocacy efforts and substantive proposals for changes. Unfortunately, the Skills Renewal Act has not advanced, in large part because Congress and the Trump Administration failed to construct a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill prior to the start of its annual August recess. As such, there has not been a suitable legislative vehicle to which the Skills Renewal Act could be attached. We will continue to engage with the bill sponsors and other influencers in Congress to press our support for the bill and appreciate your continuing support. Our goal remains passage of this bill, with expanded language to include certification programs. Whether or not the bill advances, however, our efforts to educate members of the House and Senate and key Committee staff may prove useful for future bills and has raised the PCC’s profile on Capitol Hill.
Missouri Title Restrictions – State
At the end of May, the Missouri legislature passed a comprehensive occupational licensing bill that incorporated several provisions providing legal safe harbor to private certification programs and distinguishing such programs from government credentialing programs. The PCC originally drafted and successfully advocated for those provisions.
As we have previously reported to you, the bill that became law did not include an amendment to existing law that we had been seeking: an affirmation that an individual can legally hold themselves out as a “registered” professional if “registered” is used as the designation that is conferred under a private credentialing program. Under the language in the current law, the title “registered” is restricted to those who fulfill requirements to register with the state. After the passage of the legislation, staff for the bill sponsor with whom we had been working reached out to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration to confirm the Division’s interpretation that the restriction was intended to apply only to those who falsely hold themselves out as having registered with the state and that an individual who has earned a credential from a private certification organization may lawfully use that title. Staff for the Division confirmed this interpretation in writing to the Senator’s staff in an email that we obtained. However, in the interest of legal certainty, the PCC followed up on that communication by sending a letter to the Director of the Division to request that the Division formally confirm our favored interpretation in writing, as official policy/guidance from the Division.
OSHA Final Rule – Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Railroad Roadway Work
EPA’s OCSPP Reorganization Will Include New Risk Evaluation and Risk Management Divisions
Senate Vote Fails on ‘Targeted’ COVID-19 Relief Bill
OSHA releases employers’ injury, illness data for 2016-2018
Risk Management for Existing Chemicals under TSCA
NIOSH Research Initiatives Ponder the Future of Work
COVID-19: US State Policy Report – September 10-11, 2020
Beltway Buzz, Ogletree & Deakins
Beltway Buzz, Ogletree & Deakins“Skinny” Coronavirus Package Blocked. Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week following an August recess, but didn’t do much to move the ball forward on pressing issues such as coronavirus relief, postal service aid, or federal government funding beyond September 30, 2020. On September 10, 2020, Senate Democrats defeated a targeted pandemic stimulus package that included a $300 weekly unemployment premium, employer COVID-19–related liability protections, assistance for the United States Postal Service, childcare and educational support, and money to combat the virus. Though things can of course change, this likely means that there will be not be a coronavirus relief package prior to the November 2020 elections.
Regarding government funding, it seems that a continuing resolution maintaining current funding levels will be the favored legislative vehicle. Democrats will likely push for the continuing resolution to run into 2021 when a potential Biden administration would have leverage and could take a fresh look at federal spending.
Joint-Employer Rule Struck Down. On September 8, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down the most significant element of the U.S. Department of Labor’s joint-employer regulation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In deciding a legal challenge filed by a group of state attorneys general, the court ruled that the joint-employer regulation impermissibly conflicted with the statutory text of the FLSA (particularly the definitions of “employer,” “employee,” and “employ”), that the rule’s “control-based test for joint employer liability [was] unduly narrow,” and that “the Department did not adequately explain why it departed from its prior interpretations.” Because the regulation has been in effect since March 16, 2020, the ruling stirs up a sea of uncertainty for employers.
H-1B Changes Expected. On September 3, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs its draft proposal to make significant changes to its regulations implementing the H-1B visa program. The proposed rule is expected to limit the definition of “specialty occupation” and place restrictions on the use of third-party customer sites. The current administration is determined to have the regulation finalized and in effect before a potential Biden administration, so the changes are expected to be implemented as an interim final rule, without the benefit of public comment. The rule is expected to issue in September or in early October 2020.
EEOC Clarifies Its “Pattern or Practice” Enforcement. On September 3, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued an opinion letter clarifying its interpretation and enforcement of “pattern or practice” litigation under § 707(a) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over the years, the distinctions between § 707 pattern-or-practice cases and § 706 discrimination cases that the EEOC pursues on behalf of individual employees have blurred. The letter confirms that when pursuing § 707 pattern-or-practice cases, the EEOC must follow the same administrative prerequisites as when pursuing § 706 cases on behalf of individual employees, such as the requirement of an underlying charge of discrimination and engaging in conciliation.
NLRB General Counsel Issues Memo Affecting Neutrality Agreements. On September 4, 2020, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Peter B. Robb issued Memorandum GC 20-13, the “Guidance Memorandum on Employer Assistance in Union Organizing.” The memorandum harmonizes two different legal standards that have been applied when an employer impermissibly assists a union in its organizing effort and when an employer impermissibly assists employees seeking to decertify a union. Pursuant to the memo, the Board is instructed to apply the same “more than ministerial aid” standard in both situations. The memo is particularly focused on neutrality agreements and instructs that their provisions “should be examined under the lens of whether they provide ‘more than ministerial support’ to the union’s efforts to organize.”
FEMA Unemployment Insurance Update. As of September 9, 2020, 48 states, as well as Guam and the District of Columbia, had been approved for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants under the lost wages assistance program. Nevada and South Dakota have not signed on. Some states that were early adopters are already close to the end of their sixth week of benefits.
CHEMTREC’s Online Hazmat Training Meets U.S. DOT Training Requirements!
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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/
9210 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 470, Rockville, Maryland, 20850
www.ihmm.org | [email protected]
Phone: 301-984-8969 Fax:301-984-1516