November is here and with it comes the acceleration of the approaching holiday season. Many employees will be starting to think about holiday gatherings, shopping, time away from work, and other things that may take their minds off safety. As HSE professionals, let’s all make sure we help our fellow employees enjoy a safe and…
DG Digest: PHMSA released web app for ease of research on rulemaking and to make interpretations more user-friendly
This blog publishes on Halloween, 2022; so, Happy Halloween! Hopefully your day is filled with treats rather than tricks. Remember that the kids will be out in force today, and not necessarily paying much attention to traffic and other safety issues, so it’s up to us adults to take extra care to protect them and…
DG Digest: FMCSA makes changes to agency rules, also corrects errors and removes obsolete references from its regulations.
Welcome to October! Not only is the fall season now rolling in; October is National Fire Prevention Month. Does your workplace have good suppression equipment, a solid emergency plan, and a well-trained employee team ready to deal with fire and fire prevention? This is the month to especially focus on and address these issues. As…
DG Digest: PHMSA seeks fee increases to fund grant programs; FMCSA wants to require interstate CMVs to be equipped with electronic IDs.
The third week of September brought in the formal beginning of Autumn and was another busy one in the regulatory world. The FMCSA released a consequential new proposal for CMV identification technology, and PHMSA proposed a new fee revision. Let’s dig right in to all the action below: PHMSA The agency published an ANPRM to…
DG Digest: With federal mediation efforts underway, Class 1 Norfolk Southern (and other operators) face looming strike
Here we go, rolling into the last full official week of summer. Despite the advance of the calendar, however, much of the country, especially in the West, is still coping with high temperatures and fire danger. Be sure your workplace continues to monitor conditions and has the needed protocols in place to keep employees working…
DG Digest: PHMSA releases HM-215P final rule, with changes to lithium battery exceptions — and much more.
Welcome to August! Summer continues to roll on by. Every year, it seems to go a bit faster, too! August is often the month that sees businesses have the largest number of employees off on vacation. Because of this, short staffing can sometimes be an issue and the employees that are still busy working can…
DG Digest: PHMSA published ICR for the transport of radioactive materials in commerce
Here we are at mid-July already! Where does the summer go? Hopefully, your workplace is operating its warm weather safety plan effectively. Remember that heat stress and heat stroke can represent serious safety concerns at this time of year, especially for workers outdoors or in spaces that lack air conditioning. Make sure your workplace addresses…
DG Digest: PHMSA requests comments on potential move to electronic shipping papers
Welcome back to the DG Digest after a brief summer hiatus! The last few weeks have been eventful, with perhaps the biggest news item being one of general interest: the Supreme Court decision in the matter of “West Virginia vs. USEPA.” This ruling, the subject of which was a Clean Air Act regulation not specifically…
9 improvements you can expect from smarter online hazmat training
Ever ask a sulky teenager to execute a household chore? They’ll do the bare minimum, but it’s easy to see that it could have been done better. There’s a similar dynamic with Dangerous Goods training. The law says employees have to be trained if an organization ships or handles hazardous materials, and many companies do…
DG Digest: PHMSA extends comment period on converting historic letters of interpretation into FAQs on its website
Mid-June rolls in with Hurricane season beginning to ramp up. This can produce severe storms in affected regions, and flooding rains even in areas far from the storm zone itself. Be sure your business has severe weather plans to prepare the response needed! Meanwhile, it was a usual week in the regulatory world, with several…