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Manufacturers across all industries face a wide range of new and enhanced regulations concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These “forever chemicals” are of particular concern due to their persistence in the environment and their widespread use. TSCA Section 8(a)(7) is one of the ...

Climate change poses significant food and water scarcity risks in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. Alongside ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change, solutions are also needed to address its immediate impact. Saline agriculture is one such potential solution, offering an alternative ...

Sustainable construction has quickly become one of the industry’s top priorities, with innovative new methods and materials developing rapidly. One such example is lime-based inorganic paint enriched with graphene to tackle the downsides of traditional paints and act as an effective carbon dioxide ...

If you have stumbled across this blog post, chances are you are unhappy with your current software provider. Perhaps their support team is not as responsive as you would like or the system itself is not adapting to your growing business’ needs. We will go over the various reasons for wanting a ...

SDS, MSDS, IMDS, MDS – if you’re a supplier at any level of the automotive supply chain, then you’ve likely come across these acronyms before. However, they’re distinct from one another, and understanding that is key to fulfilling your chemical management compliance obligations and meeting expected ...

Environmental reporting requirements are rapidly changing to monitor and restrict the use and release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are found in adhesives, coatings, packaging, textiles, and more, with new regulations impacting every industry. Keeping up with these ...

Developing and implementing novel solutions to climate change has quickly become one of the world’s top priorities. Climate change indicators continue to break records with each passing year, highlighting the urgency of the situation. While most efforts focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ...

Many countries around the world have set ambitious targets for the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), with some targeting 100 percent of new consumer vehicles being electric. The rapid increase in demand is putting stress on already strained supply chains for critical minerals used in EV ...

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has changed the face of many industries since becoming law on August 16th, 2022. The automotive industry is no exception, as a wide range of IRA measures seek to revitalize domestic supply chains and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. That impact ...

What is the Triple Bottom Line? Incorporating sustainability into your corporate strategy can raise a lot of questions:

Environmental reporting is an essential part of maintaining compliance for your facility. However, it can often seem like a burdensome task assigned to your organization by regulations with no clear end goal. That isn’t the case when it comes to National Emissions Inventory (NEI) reporting. ...

Wondering how to identify over- or under-classification from a supplier's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and what the penalties could be should the information be incorrect or false? Read for some tips.

The Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) is a federal program that strives to collect data on the release, disposal, and transfer of harmful pollutants across the country. Developed as part of the government’s Green Plan Initiative and mandated by the Canadian Environmental ...

ERA Environmental won big at the 2023 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, hosted March 3rd, 2023 at the Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Relive the moment when co-founders Sarah and Gary won the award And watch Sarah's post-win interview!

Last February, ERA was announced as one of the featured winners of 2022's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Awards by Corporate Vision Magazine.

The CanadianSME Small Business Magazine named ERA the Sustainable Business of the year as part of their National Business Awards 2022, presented by Google.

Health Canada SDS audits are conducted to ensure that companies are complying with the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) and the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) for Safety Data Sheets (SDS) in Canada. The HPR sets requirements for the classification, labelling, and SDS of hazardous products sold in ...

Having compliant Safety Data Sheets (SDS) on hand is critical for all suppliers of substances and mixtures. Not only do they aid in effectively informing workers of all associated hazards, but they also help employers meet their obligation to assess health and safety risks from the presence of ...

A study reported the drastic 8.8% decrease in Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Covid) lockdown compared to previous years, which sparked interest in how habit and lifestyle changes may impact the environment. People have consistently been encouraged to reduce living ...

Short-term and long-term effects of chemical exposure can have dire consequences on everyone working in a factory in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, wood and furniture, paints and coatings and manufacturing. For example, eighty-five percent of mesothelioma cases, a cancer of ...

Monitoring and reducing the Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) emitted during manufacturing activities, should be a priority for all facilities. The stationary source standards governing HAP emissions in manufacturing are known as the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). ...

The contents presented in this article form part of our larger and more comprehensive Acute Toxicity Evaluation Guide, which covers everything from examples of GHS classification for mixtures to the specifics of OSHA’s acute toxicity categorization. We recommend reading the entire guide before ...

Having a solid chemical purchasing and approval process is the ideal way to prevent undocumented hazardous chemicals from entering the workplace. To implement an efficient strategy that is free of hurdles, you must possess a clear picture of the information required for approval, the methods for ...

If you run or manage an onshore facility that works with hazardous chemicals, then you’ve most likely heard of the new rule the EPA proposed earlier this year, in which the agency states it intends to enforce facility response plans, or FRPs, for worst case discharges of Clean Water Act hazardous ...

Safety data sheets (SDS) are essential for more than just chemical handling information; they also contain crucial information for environmental reporting. Properly managing, tracking, and revising them is critical to any facility or organization. Effective SDS management systems include practical ...

Finding out that some of the practices at your facility are exempt from TRI reporting is a major relief for any reporter, yet the process of navigating the intricacies of each exemption can prove to be a challenge. Following ERA’s TRI reporting webinar, it was evident that many attendees had ...

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting is the most difficult time of the year for EHS professionals: it’s an annual compendium of your air, water, and waste emissions that forces you to take a closer look at your facility’s records. Because the scope of TRI Reporting is so broad—both in the ...

The practice of private labeling—when companies sell someone else’s product under their own brands—is surprisingly frequent: you will find it anywhere from the canned food aisle at your local grocery store to Amazon’s online clothing catalogs (or any of the categories covered by its 45+ private ...

With the addition of the EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) report to your compliance checklist, it is normal to be confused about where to begin. ERA has assisted hundreds of facilities with their annual TRI reporting and would like to share some knowledge to get you started on data collection and ...

After assessing their activity, chemicals and information, the EPA has added natural gas processing (NGP) facilities to the list of TRI-covered industry sectors, making them subject to TRI reporting. The first reports for NGP facilities are due July 1, 2023, which means that if you belong to this ...

A comprehensive, centralized environmental data management system is the foundation of any successful EH&S department. It makes reporting easier, facilitates incident recovery, and, above all, keeps you in compliance with all your permits and regulations. Time and time again, the facilities ...

More and more organizations are choosing to do sustainability reporting to improve their market branding and image while using this to match and exceed their competitors’ reporting efforts. According to KPMG, 80% of companies worldwide now report on sustainability, increasing the need for more ...

The March 1st deadline for Tier II reporting is fast approaching. Environmental managers across the U.S. are working hard to collect and review all of the relevant chemical inventory data needed. To make your life easier, we have prepared 5 Tier II insider tips that will ensure you're doing the ...

ERA's automotive software solution and Compliance Management module earned it a spot in 2021's ranking of the ten best solution providers for the automotive industry.

As part of their Small Business Awards 2021, Corporate Vision presented ERA with the title of "Best Environmental Management Solutions Tech Business".

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a thing of the future. The more countries pledge to phase out the registration and sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and the more consumers spend on EV purchases year-over-year, the more the global automotive industry shifts toward electrification. This ...

Storage tanks are used in many industries and manufacturers ranging from adhesive manufacturers to aerospace manufacturers. Other facilities also store fuel in tanks for their personal industry vehicles.

In virtue of her innovation-focused leadership style and the advancements she has made as the co-CEO and Director of Research and Development at ERA, Sarah Sajedi was named among the 150 Finalists of the Women of Inspiration awards 2021, in the running for the Trailblazer (STEM) Award.

NEI reporting is no easy task. Manufacturers and other industries are required to track and report all significant air emissions to their state. The variety of rules associated with each state make it hard for EHS managers to file their reports accurately. If your company produces any air emissions ...

Workplace safety is an essential aspect of industrial and manufacturing operations. Government organizations such as OSHA are diligent in monitoring workplace safety standards. The rule that deals specifically with industry operations is the 29 CFR 1910. In this article, you will learn everything ...

TRI reporting is a long and complicated process with an endless list of rules to follow. The EPA’s TRI instruction guide is 172 pages long. Knowing every regulatory requirement and rule that accompanies this environmental report can be a challenging task for EHS experts and would require hours of ...

TRI reporting season is upon us and now is the time to consider checking regulatory updates that relate to the TRI reportable chemicals that you use within your facility. Knowing the changes to regulations will help you avoid fines and maintain up-to-date records for TRI regulations and other ...

Industrial waste generated from solvents used in painting and coating processes contributes to EPA VOC emissions due to the chemical composition of commonly used solvents. Effective solvent waste tracking is necessary for accurate industrial waste reporting and to ensure compliance with permit ...

As the TRI reporting season approaches, it is important to discuss the addition of PFAS to the TRI list over the past few years. The EPA added 176 poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxic Release Inventory chemical list in June of 2020 and has subsequently added more in 2021 and 2022 for a ...

Permitting is an effective way of enforcing Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations for various facilities. One of the major ways to enforce these regulations is through the Title V operating permit. If you are looking for a rundown on everything Title V along with some helpful improvement and streamlining ...

The EPA has announced that the Green House Gas (GHG) reporting tool (e-GGRT) is now ready for your 2020 GHG reports.

As an EHS professional, you should be familiar with various steps that are involved in the Tier II reporting process. Whether you have been completing Tier II reports for years or you are still learning the process, it is important to understand your calculation options and choose the right maximum ...

Tier II reporting is used by the EPA to track and enforce rules related to the storing of hazardous materials in your facility. Housing hazardous chemicals in your facility can pose an immense risk to your workers, the environment, and surrounding communities. It is essential to track all your ...

Keeping the public safe from hazardous waste releases is a top priority for regulators everywhere. Having laws that control hazardous waste release is the best way to protect the environment and the public. As a facility owner or operator, you need to consider environmental protection when you are ...

Air Compliance is an essential part of facility management. Your facility may already have elaborate systems in place to manage your air emissions, but most facilities do not consider emissions that come from waste at all when it comes to their air reporting. Industrial waste management practices ...

Knowing if you are one of the many facilities required to file a Biennial Hazardous Waste Report with the EPA is not necessarily a straightforward affair. The characteristics that determine if you need to submit a hazardous waste report are filled with tricky conditions, making it somewhat ...

Integrating pollution prevention (also known as P2) into your industrial waste management system is essential for not only preventing land and air contamination but also to alleviate the burdens, liabilities, and organizational risks associated with waste management. Facility managers, state ...

Behavior Based Safety Observations (BBSOs) are recorded observations to improve worker safety and reduce risk. BBSOs typically involve managers and other appointed observers watching tasks and operations while making notes and suggestions to improve safety. Additionally, workers can also submit ...

Safety audits, both internal and external are a vital part of maintaining your safety culture and feeding your virtuous cycle of continuous improvement. For most Health and Safety professionals that shouldn't be a revelation. However, we're going to deep dive into a specific element of safety ...

What Is Incident Management? Incident management refers to a systematic process which an organization utilizes to quickly identify, analyze, address and document incident related problems – including who, what, where, when, and why. Successful implementation of an incident management system ...

What is ISO 14001 Certification and How to Prepare for It? ISO 14001 is considered the gold standard when it comes to businesses demonstrating a commitment to environmental management. Developed by the experts at the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14001 lays out the ground work ...

As regulations tighten around the automotive industry, OEMs will have to push these increased regulatory requirements down to suppliers in order to keep up. Regulations like REACH that prohibit manufacturers from including chemicals and substances of very high concern in products made in the EU or ...

How to Improve Market Performance through Intentional Corporate Culture In an article he wrote for Forbes, David Michaels likened change to surfing in that “change, like waves, actually never stops. It can be large or small, fast or slow, but it is continuous.” The amplitude, direction, and ...

Why Do Companies Need Accurate SDSs? Companies manufacturing, distributing or importing products containing hazardous chemicals must have Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for the chemicals they manage. The quality of these SDSs can vary, but the best SDSs must be accurate. In addition to data accuracy ...

Businesses with successful sustainability strategies eschew the single profit driven bottom line in favor of using the triple bottom line to assess their corporate KPIs. The success seen by early adopters forged the path forward for corporate sustainability and the TBL method evolving to become the ...

This article will focus on how smart businesses can thrive in an age of acceleration in which technology and the planet are undergoing change at an exponential rate.

Meeting the standards and regulations of OSHA can be complex and challenging for companies to manage. But the cost of noncompliance is not only monetary; it can also risk the lives of employees. No matter how challenging it can be doing regular safety inspections, the cost is too great to take any ...

The role of the automobile manufacturing industry in reversing climate change With concern for the environment reaching a fever pitch, every sector is scrambling to implement measures to reduce their environmental impact that will satisfy consumer demands. This series of articles will seek to ...

Sustainability has become a common buzzword within the manufacturing industry, but there are countless applications within any given industry. Of particular concern in today’s economic and ecological climate are air emissions from the automotive industry – particularly from the chemicals used when ...

Gathering information to file your Tier II report is a meticulous endeavor, so we want to take a load off your shoulders, by offering you a tool to facilitating your reporting process: The Tier II Checklist. Having a checklist allows you to check off what you did while keeping you aware of what ...

The Emergency Right-To-Know-Act (ECPRA) / SARA Title III In order to be in accordance with Section 312 of the Emergency Right-to-Know-Act of 1986 (ECPRA), also known as SARA Title III, facility owners and managers are required to report specific information on hazardous materials stored above ...

Section 608 of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Act (CAA) deals with rules and regulations about refrigerants and how technicians, owners, operators, and reclaimers use, manage, store, or dispose of them as well as establishes rules on record-keeping. It also sets regulations ...

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Reporting is one of the biggest compliance events of the year for manufacturers across the United States. Essentially, it’s an annual summary of the types and quantities of hazardous chemicals from your manufacturing, processes, and other types of usages across the ...

This article was written for the ERA EHS Blog by John Bradburn. John is an ERA expert partner, developing and advising on ERA sustainability solutions. He is the former Global Waste Reduction Manger for General Motors and was dubbed GM’s MacGyver for his uncanny knack to devise unconventional uses ...

As any business owner operating in Texas knows, Texas is one of the most strictly regulated states in terms of a facility’s environmental, health, and safety performance. This regulatory environment has produced some of the most innovative manufacturing technologies and protected the environment ...

The EPA recently terminated its support of TANKS 4.09D Software program for tanks calculations, leaving facilities that relied on the tool in the lurch All facilities must now transition away from TANKS 4.09D and find a replacements tanks software to calculate their storage tank emissions. TANKS ...

When it comes to cost-saving sustainability efforts, it's important to take the lessons learned by other industries to heart. That's one of the best ways to ensure you don't make the same mistakes and avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

The day to day operations at manufacturing plants may vary based on industry and facility, but the need to manage safety is consistent. For manufacturing businesses, change is inevitable – and can be a positive source of growth and advancement. However, change is only beneficial if you manage it ...

The public can now, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, search and view new chemical notices. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21 Century Act, signed into law on June 22, 2016, was the first substantive reform to Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This law requires ...

Environmental Health and Safety experts may be aware of the technologies that shape their work today, but what about the technologies that are in development now? Technology has caught up with the intricacies of manufacturing and is becoming standard practice within the industry. Cloud computing ...

The role of environmental management for businesses is two-fold: to protect the environment from the effects of manufacturing by-products and to protect your business from noncompliance fines and penalties. Below you’ll find the essential must-knows about everything you need to know about the ...

Manufacturers and their suppliers have understood for a few years now that sustainability is a foundational aspect of their operations, but for the most part sustainability was overgeneralized as simply “being green”. Today, however, industry has recognized the importance of biodiversity as a ...

We love to share interesting and useful insights about environmental data management. Here’s an article that was posted on Environmental Leader that has a slightly different approach to data management than we’ve featured or written about here before, but one that could prove to be very useful when ...

Managing waste is an important part of an Environmental Manager’s portfolio – one that can be complicated and full of compliance risk. Companies are required to maintain comprehensive records, meet waste reporting deadlines, and responsibly manage their waste or face noncompliance penalties. ...

According to Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO) the regulation, all hazardous chemicals, including substance with explosibility, flammability, oxidability, corrosivity, health-toxicology and eco-toxicology, shall obtain the HSNO approval No. prior to being manufactured or imported in ...

The Zero Incidents Vision Over the years, businesses have implemented many unique procedures and policies to eliminate worker injuries and workplace incidents. Today, Health & Safety professionals are promoting Zero Incidents as the benchmark for safety management excellence.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation that specifies how to process and use the personal data of citizens in the European Union (EU) and companies holding the data of EU citizens. Because health and safety departments oftentimes hold a wide range of personal data including ...

Businesses who manufacture, distribute, supply, or import hazardous products for use in a workplace in Canada must be compliant with WHMIS 2015. The last date a controlled product with a WHMIS 1988 MSDS/SDS label can be sold by a distributor was August 31, 2018. This means if your business needs to ...

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), also known as the “employee right-to-know” standard was developed to protect employees from exposure to hazardous products and chemicals. This standard requires all employers to develop a written program addressing labeling and warning requirements, ...

When it comes to meeting EPA requirements, many businesses may be afraid to submit their records. TRI Reporting is a regulatory necessity and a legal obligation for companies that use hazardous chemicals, and the EPA relies on accurate reporting.

The Annex to the G7 Leaders’ June 8, 2015 Declaration noted that global raw material use rose during the 20th century at about twice the rate of population growth. This explosive increase in consumption has resulted in habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, overly stressed fisheries, and ...

It takes an estimated 10,000 chemicals to manufacture an automobile, many of which are left in the final product. Under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) the automotive industry has a major challenge on its hands to communicate policies and regulations ...

What is HPR (Hazardous Product Act)? HPR is the shorthand reference for the Hazardous Products Act. As shown in the Canada Gazette Part II of February 11th, 2015, the Government of Canada published the HPR, bringing WHMIS 2015 (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) into force. WHMIS ...

One of the most common processes we see in the manufacturing industry is the application of paints, top coats, and primers using an applicator spray gun / paint line. From an environmental reporting perspective, EHS professionals are usually well versed in how to calculate air emissions from the ...

Why It's Important to Read an SDS When Using a Material for the First Time Occasionally, a plant manager will find themselves asking how to read an SDS in facing one or more of these scenarios: Plant workers are informed of a new chemical material to be used in the production process. A maintenance ...

Incident Management System FAQ: What Safety Managers Need to Know Recently, ERA hosted a webinar about OSHA compliance for workplace incidents that focused on Incident Management Systems and automation. Our attendees submitted some of their most pressing questions, and ERA's safety experts have ...

How a Safety Data Sheet Tells You What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Use The dress code for safety should never be unclear. Knowing which personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear when handling a hazardous material is essential for working safely and preventing adverse health effects in ...

Safety data sheets (SDS) are an essential first-line resource in the workplace, protecting workers and the environment by ensuring all stakeholders are well-informed. Under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), the sixteen sections of an SDS contain a wide range of information for workers, ...

Environmentally conscious businesses have an ever-growing number of EH&S philosophies and ideals to choose from when deciding on their overall management mission statements. Some of the more familiar ones are ideas like “carbon neutral” or the increasingly popular “zero landfill” in which ...

What is Your SDS Telling You About the Product You Are Using? When working with hazardous materials, it is important to be alert to the specific nature of the dangers that are posed by those materials. This also means it is important to identify and differentiate one hazardous material from another ...

The Globally Harmonized System (known as GHS for short) has introduced profound changes to the way North America as a whole classifies and communicates hazard information in the workplace and to consumers.

Manufacturers around the globe have noticed an uptick in the demand for aerosol products – and if you are a user of aerosol products or a manufacturer, you might find yourself surprised at how the switch in North America to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) has affected the requirements for ...

Compliance with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is about more than just authoring SDSs (Safety Data Sheets) and making sure your staff knows how to read them, it also includes an important component about ensuring that safety data is available throughout your facility on any secondary ...

One of the first questions that tends to be asked by an incident investigator is “Did the employee receive adequate training to do the job?”

“How does your SDS help in an emergency?”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year of 2016. This list has been collected from the findings of approximately 32,000 inspections of workplaces across the United States by the ...

As Head of Corporate and Stakeholder Relations in North America for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Alyson Genovese knows more than most about the impact of sustainability reporting on a business' bottom line and future growth.

In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a new rule which requires employers to electronically submit injury and illness data. This new standard took effect on January 1, 2017 and requires employers to submit electronically injury and illness data. However, the date of ...

Whether it is at seminars or conferences, today’s professional group events will often feature breakout sessions on the agenda. So, what is a breakout session? In these small-scale gatherings, attendees are regrouped in reduced numbers in order to discuss and express their ideas and opinions ...

These days, EH&S conferences are plentiful, with numerous conferences aiming to cater for a range of niches or special interests, including sustainability, risk aversion, environmental management, supply chain management, and more. Certain conferences can serve as unique outlets to gain ...

Ensuring a healthy and safe workplace is integral to both employers and employees. In their efforts to ensure a strong, fair, and effective enforcement of safety and health at the workplace, OSHA inspectors, called compliance safety and health officers, conduct onsite inspections on a regular basis ...

From workshops that focus on time efficiency to speeches given by prestigious experts, EH&S conferences represent a wide variety of different opportunities for professionals. Therefore, workers in the EH&S sector need to be discriminating when selecting which conferences to attend.

As the summer months arrive, an increased amount of outdoors maintenance and general activity can take place on work sites. Meanwhile, indoor working areas can experience higher temperatures and less pleasant working conditions, as heat and humidity creeps in. For those businesses that are based in ...

When it comes to attending conferences, employees in EH&S roles need to be keenly strategic about which ones they attend. Most companies only have a limited budget, in terms of funds and expendable time that they can use to send their key staff to conferences. Most of the time, EH&S ...

In late May of 2017, news began to circulate that Health Canada was moving to change the requirement dates associated with Canada’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). This represented a shift away from the previously published transition deadlines. The new process will center around ...

Update: May 2017: Since the publication of this article, Health Canada has issued an announcement indicating changes to WHMIS 2015 compliance requirements and deadlines. These changes in requirements center around the timely implementation of Controlled Production Regulations (CPR) and Hazardous ...

ERA Environmental Management Solutions was delighted to attend the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment 2nd Quarterly Meeting on 27 April, which took place at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Kentucky. ERA has been a contributing members of the Suppliers Partnership (SP) ...

As part of Earth Day 2017, ERA has put together an illustrative infographic on the range of small but mighty measures that can be implemented in almost any office or workplace to conserve resources. They are as follows: Transitioning to LED or natural lighting to reduce energy bills Shutting down ...

In December of 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft notice related to approving petition(s) to add a chemical by the name of n-propyl bromide (nPB – also referred to to as 1-bromopropane) to the Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) list. N-propyl bromide is used in ...

Nowadays, training and employee certification is essential to many modern businesses in North America. From oil & gas facilities, to manufacturing units, to painting and coating operations, the need to stay on top of training is vital. From handling hazardous waste to basic first aid, every ...

This is the second of two blog posts that will take a close look at new changes to Sub Part W reporting, which are set to swing into place over 2017. As we have previously explored, 2017 will see this important realignment amongst Oil & Gas operators. This shift primarily will concern ...

This is the first of two blog posts that will explore recent changes to Sub Part W reporting, which are set to take place in 2017. 2017 will see an important realignment amongst Oil & Gas operators. This will concern facilities that are engaged in New Source Performance Standard OOOO (Quad O) ...

It’s often said that hindsight is 20/20, and that’s certainly the case for businesses. A successful company is often capable of identifying and learning from mistakes, as well as capitalizing on industry trends. The way point that is the end of the year gives us a perfect opportunity to do both. ...

Looking beyond the importance of regulations and training exercises, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is the document that you turn to when things go wrong at your facility. The purpose of the document is to provide a summary of information related to the hazards posed by a product, as well as advice on ...

Automation is a buzzword that’s been in constant use across numerous industries in recent years, especially in manufacturing. It’s being discussed as a technology that will continue to revolutionize our economies by introducing reliable computer-based solutions for repetitive tasks. In the context ...

The production of a document that’s as key as a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) can be a complex affair. In order to satisfy its function, an SDS needs to satisfy a range of requirements: from accurate, GHS-compliant hazard communication, to clearly understandable content and language, and the correct ...

Manufacturers and producers in both the United States and Canada will, by now, be well aware of the standardization in hazard communication that the newly adopted Globally Harmonized System (GHS) pushes. As a set of hazardous symbols and warnings, it will bring the hazardous materials documentation ...

With the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) now officially in place as the standard for the labelling of hazardous chemicals across the US, Canada is preparing to adopt the system in 2017. It’s an indication that regulations regarding hazardous warnings have taken a great stride towards ...

Implementing sustainable policies, be they commercial or public in nature, is all too often limited by the scope of legislative and national boundaries. An international forum where ambitious cross-border cooperation can be fostered certainly has its merits. The Commission for Environmental ...

As we move closer and closer to the GHS transition date in Canada, there is an understandable level of scrutiny being placed on SDS Authoring in North America. Many companies will certainly be going through the self-assessment process. Are we still in compliance? How does this affect us? Are there ...

Since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plan to implement a carbon tax across Canada on October 3, there has been a tremendous amount of interest in how this will be applied, and its potential impact on business both north and south of the Canadian border. While there has been a ...

In our last blog article in this series, we looked at how the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) will be implemented in Canada, and which key dates to pay particular attention to. We have also covered how American companies, even those that have ...

It has officially been announced that the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) present in the global atmosphere had reached the key level of 400 parts per million. This is a milestone. The 400 parts per million stat has long been considered a key ‘tipping point’ in CO2 levels. Scientists at the Scripps ...

In our last blog article in this series, we examined how the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) may present difficulties for American companies, especially in terms of SDS use. For this piece, we’ll take an informed look at the various deadlines that will ...

Since August 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been applying increased penalty fees to delinquent businesses within its purview. This change has been actively driven by legislation enacted by Congress in November 2015, which required federal agencies to review and ...

In our last blog article in this series, we looked at how the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is being embraced by Canada. We offered a broad outline of the situation, and the reasons why the system is now being implemented. For this piece, we’ll take ...

EPA announced a series of measures that underlined the agency’s intention to push forward with reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), with implications for businesses and industries across the United States. Following the adoption of a landmark chemical safety bill which amended the ...

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is exactly what it sounds like – an internationally recognized labeling system for dangerous chemicals. The images that comprise it are present on products we all buy and use every day. The GHS was created by the ...

Nora Lopez is the recently-retired TRI Coordinator for Region 2. She has decades of years of experience overseeing TRI reporting, auditing, and trouble-shooting with the Environmental Protection Agency. ERA Environmental Management Solutions has partnered with Nora for TRI Month to deliver expert ...

The Government of Ontario has announced that it is moving forward with a Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade program that will directly impact the operation of manufacturers across the province. Ontario will also be linking its cap and trade program with the GHG cap and trade markets in the province of ...

Why start TRI Month talking about waste reporting? Because waste is the most overlooked of all the emissions media. Most EH&S professionals are more worried about their air emissions reporting, then water releases (in that order) – and consequently, waste tracking and credits are where we see ...

ERA Incident Management Software is setting the benchmark for the new age of incident reporting Incident management and reporting is one of the most important elements of a successful business. Here's how to make sure you're using the right tool to for the job.

At this moment, many enterprises are not in compliance in with the OSHA adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) which mandates that MSDSs must be replaced with the new Safety Data Sheets (SDS). This change in chemical hazard communication marked a significant change in on-site safety and ...

Having a Tank Emissions Software that encompasses emissions from your facility's specific tank types and tank events is an underestimated advantage for environmental reporting. It makes performing AP-42 calculations infinitely easier. Having tank emissions software also helps you to standardize ...

For nearly 3 decades, ERA has been a thought leader in how any oil & gas facility can design, develop, and implement a system for managing and improving compliance tasks. The critical factors in developing oil and gas compliance management are knowing when your events are due and who to assign ...

Improving your environmental audits is an essential aspect of operations for manufacturers and other industries. There are various ways that you can achieve the ultimate audit. In this blog, ERA would like to show you a few environmental audit best practices and how you can use them to build a ...

ERA Environmental's petrochemical specialists were at the Oil & Gas Environmental Conference. We gave two talks: one about evaluating your Tank Emission Software and another about data management and planning for the oil & gas industry.

The ECHA (European Chemical Association) regulation known as REACH is designed to prohibit the presence of chemicals known to harm human health and the environment in products manufactured in or imported into the EU.

The European Union chemical regulation known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) is keeping many exporters to the EU on their toes. REACH prohibits certain chemicals known as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) from being present in finished ...

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) is a regulation enacted to protect human health and the environment from chemicals contained in manufactured goods that are either produced in the European Union or imported to the EU.

The foundation of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) is knowing which chemicals are present in your facility and in your final products.

A common assumption when dealing with hot and heated tanks is that their insulation protects them from the ambient heat fluctuations occurring throughout the day. This often leads reporters to assume that hot and heated tanks generate zero breathing losses.

One of the biggest challenges for any site that uses tanks – including those in the Oil & Gas industry and chemical manufacturing – has been that the long-standing industry standard tool, EPA TANKS 4.09D, turned out to be not that reliable after all. The EPA is no longer supporting the further ...

With the GHS Compliance deadline (June 1, 2015) in the U.S. already passed, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with OSHA’s (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) position on enforcing the deadline. Below we outline a few of the most important parts of OSHA’s official enforcement ...

The Oil & Gas industry is currently experiencing a boom in production – which means good things for Oil & Gas companies… but it also means that the entire industry is catching the eyes of regulators looking to minimize the impact of Oil & Gas activities on the environment.

Quad O – otherwise known as CFR 40 part 60 Subpart OOOO — is one of the most broad-reaching regulations in the Oil & Gas industry, covering storage tanks, compressors, sweetening units, leak detection and repair (LDAR) and many other common VOC sources used in onshore production.

Your processes create a constant stream of data: for example, a single petrochemical site can generate literally millions of data points that all need to get processed and analyzed. Sometimes this can feel like an avalanche of data that is resource-intensive and impossible to keep up with.

Your business is extraordinary at what it does. Whatever it is you manufacturer, manage, or sell, you strive to be the best. You’ve dedicated resources and time to create an excellent product or service.

The next deadline for OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is on the horizon. Designed to fully align the U.S. chemical industry with the United Nation’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS), this Final Rule comes fully into effect on June 1, 2015. That’s when chemical manufacturers must be ...

GHS (Globally Harmonized System) compliance is all about transitioning your business from MSDS to SDS (Safety Data Sheets). Because this can be difficult to accomplish we've prepped this simple timeline you can implement in your workplace. You start following this five-step GHS timeline today. ...

Chances are if you’re reading this you’re looking for or wanting to learn more about Enterprise Compliance Systems or Software. This article will help you do just that: explain the different types of compliance software available and pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of each one.

It’s no secret that petrochemical manufacturers and refiners simply cannot know the exact chemical breakdown of some of their petrochemical liquids. Crude oil is perhaps the best example of this: every tank of crude oil will have different ranges for chemical components, and the majority of that ...

After years of hearing about the GHS compliance requirements and various deadlines, you may be conditioned to tune out reminders—especially if you’ve already implemented a plan to reclassify your hazardous materials and re-author your safety data sheets in time for June 1st. But what if GHS ...

No matter how stellar your data management practices are for materials stored or blended in your tanks, you’re likely to come across a substance that you simply cannot know the exact chemical composition for. The most common example is crude oil: any refinery that deals with crude oil must also ...

For most EH&S Managers in the Oil & Gas and Chemical industries, the thought of going through a regulatory audit is an unwelcome one - it means more work spent on paperwork and less time on improvements and actual compliance. Since audits from the EPA and other regulatory bodies are ...

Most businesses that store or blend liquids on site in tanks will eventually find themselves missing chemical component and chemical property data, leaving you guessing exactly what is in your tanks and what types of emissions you should expect.

ERA Environmental Management Solutions celebrated on November 26 as co-founder and CEO Sarah Sajedi was named a national finalist and runner up for the highly competitive TELUS Trailblazer award at this year's RBC & Women of Influence Women Entrepreneur Awards.

For companies in the chemical/manufacturing space, safety data sheet (SDS) compliance is the most pressing objective right now. Or at least it should be… Because in order to comply with the UN’s Globally Harmonized System requirements before the June 1, 2015 deadline, manufacturers must draft SDSs ...

The latest development in the U.S. transition to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of hazard communication is offering chemical blend manufacturers some flexibility in meeting the June 1, 2015 deadline for having all their data sheets authored as GHS-style SDSs.

The Compliance Enforcement process can feel complex and confusing, especially in a state as heavily regulated as Texas. We began unravelling the topic in a previous article, EHS Compliance in Texas: Preparing for a TCEQ Investigation, by sharing some best practices for getting prepared for an audit ...

As a decision maker for your business, you're skilled at taking a systems approach to business and seeing things holistically. You see how different departments are all connected and, more importantly, how they all affect your bottom line. Surprisingly, many executives overlook the Environmental, ...

The success of your compliance management style is measured along two lines: Is compliance demonstrated on time? Are your management practices producing results within or under budget? Regardless of whether you are an EHS Manager in charge of overseeing an entire EHS department, or a compliance ...

Is your Environmental, Health & Safety department showing signs of distress? Despite your best efforts, compliance management could be creating inefficiencies in your EHS department, resulting in missed deadlines, increased fines, and headaches for everyone on your team. We don't want that to ...

If the cost of managing your air emissions is starting to affect your bottom line, or if your equipment is so out of date that upgrading it would put your EHS Department in the red, it could be time to consider applying for one of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan program grants. The Texas ...

The Ground Level Concentration Max (GLCMax) calculation is among the most important emission calculations that Texas manufacturers using tanks in their operations should know inside and out. Not only is it important for regulatory compliance with Effects Screening Levels (ESL), but it is also a ...

Data collection is the fundamental backbone of all environmental, health & safety management for the oil & gas and chemical industries. Any business that uses tanks as part of their processes should focus on collecting the very best possible data about their sources and use that data ...

One of the most common topics ERA’s environmental research team is asked to explain is the ins and outs of tank emissions management reporting. So much so that ERA’s head consultant recently gave a presentation on it at a national conference. It covered working and standing loss emissions from ...

When you rely on tanks to store, mix, or transport products and materials, you know just how complex it can be to measure and manage air emissions from any loading process. Every small detail about how you run your operations can affect the quantity of emissions you need to report and your permit ...

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has recently issued a new General Permit for the Oil & Gas industry, also known as the GP07.

Alternate Operating Scenarios (AOS) and Maintenance, Startup, Shutdown (MSS) events are some of the most discussed topics among Oil & Gas manufacturers and their regulators, and it’s a topic ERA Environmental has covered on its industry advice blog too.

Alternate Operating Scenarios (AOS) and Maintenance, Startup and Shutdown (MSS) operating scenarios are particularly difficult concepts to distinguish between for the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industries. But knowing the difference between the two, and understanding how each one affects your ...

Every industry faces its own unique challenges when it comes to regulatory compliance, based on the types of activities, products, and materials used on site. Those industries using more heavily regulated types of materials or equipment face more strenuous reporting requirements.

In business there are risks you take and are risks you avoid at all costs. Forward-thinking businesses realize they need to constantly evolve to survive in a changing environment. The only way to innovate, and therefore succeed in the long-term, is to effectively and proactively manage risk. ...

Understanding the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an attempt to standardize the classification of labels and packaging across borders. As such, the new Globally Harmonized System guidelines for Classification and Packaging impact the classification of the ...

This article is part of ERA’s three part series on GHS Hazard Classification. Part three is a Case Study on Sulfur, emphasizing the importance of having multiple, reliable sources of chemical information to author your SDSs.

This article is part of ERA’s three part series on GHS Hazard Classification. Part two highlights the importance of using multiple, reliable sources of chemical information to author your SDSs. When it comes to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), having information is power. Information is what ...

This article is part of ERA’s three part series on GHS Hazard Classification. Part one outlines the step-by-step process for classifying your hazardous chemicals.

As the result of a lawsuit filed against the EPA, emission factors for VOC emissions from flares, wastewater treatment plants, and liquid storage tanks used by the Oil & Gas and chemical manufacturing industries are slated for review and potentially revision by the end of 2014.

The Oil & Gas industry faces a unique environmental management challenge, one that affects the daily success day to day business: having to manage emissions from hundreds (to thousands) of sources that are spread out great distances apart. And frequently in areas subject to different ...

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) aims to improve hazard communication to employees around the globe by focusing on current health and safety standards. To achieve this, it has focused on increasing the clarity and comprehension of safety information provided to workers and chemical users. This ...

Using the right pictograms on your Globally Harmonized System (GHS) labels makes a significant difference in effectively communicating material hazards and improves the safety of your workers and customers.

OSHA’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) via HazCom 2012 is bringing some significant changes to the long-standing MSDS that American manufacturers are used to.

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) has gained huge mindshare amongst many facility, safety & environmental managers in the last 12 months. Since the North American Occupational Health & Safety regulators have committed to adopting the Globally Harmonized ...

If you assign an employee a new portfolio, do they have to spend the first week figuring out how the record management and data collection systems work, or are they able to get right to the most important tasks? What is the correct approach to environmental management business management?

For some industries with more complex supply chains, like the automotive or aerospace industries, the European Union’s REACH regulation is creating challenges that extend far beyond the matter of compliance reporting. The sheer scale of implementing a single change through their entire supply chain ...

ERA Environmental Management Solutions is proud to announce that Sarah Sajedi, CEO, co-founder, and Director of Research and Development, has been awarded the Silver Stevie Award for Woman of the Year in Technology Leadership. Sarah accepted her award last Friday, November 8th at the award's ...

This is the fifth and final installment of ERA's "Pitch Perfect Technique" series on the psychology behind getting executive buy in for your EH&S projects. If you missed out any part of the series, you can read them now by clicking these links: part one, part two, part three, part four.

This article is part 4 of our 5-part "Pitch Perfect Technique" series on the psychology of getting executive buy in for your EH&S projects. If you missed any part of the series, you can click these links to read part one, part two, or part three.

As part of the United States’ federal adoption of the internationally-recognized system of chemical labelling and communicating usage data related to chemicals, known as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), the U.S. government has begun to phase in small steps to help ensure workers have the ...