Safety, Health & Environment

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs and Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today formed an alliance, which will allow the grain, feed and processing industry to work more closely and collaboratively with the regulatory agency. The Alliance, signed by Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Loren Sweatt and NGFA President Randy Gordon, during NGFA’s Board of Directors meeting ... Read More

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is organizing a “Stand-Up for Grain Engulfment Prevention” campaign promoting grain bin safety in an effort to prevent engulfment and entanglements. During the week of March 27 - 31, OSHA is encouraging employers to join this campaign, OSHA's first for the grain handling industry. The agency hopes that it becomes an annual tradition with more worksites taking part every year. According to OSHA, companies may participate by providing a focused activity or toolbox talk on topics such as lock-out/tag-out, walk down, fall prevention, ... Read More

The number of grain dust explosions in the United States fell to a 10-year low in 2016, but two of the incidents resulted in the first fatalities since 2013, according to an annual report released by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. There were five grain dust explosions in 2016, compared to eight in 2015 and a 10-year average of 9.2 per year. One of the explosions occurred in a feed mill, two in grain mills and two in grain elevators. Grain dust was confirmed as the main source of fuel in three of the incidents, but could not be confirmed in two of ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued one of its last rules for the Obama administration with a final rule that amends the OSHA recordkeeping regulations to clarify that the duty to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses is an ongoing obligation. OSHA issued the rule, “Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain Accurate Records of Each Recordable Injury and Illness,” in mid-December. The final rule is revised to state: How ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The NGFA will partner with the Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) and the Nebraska Grain and Feed Association (NeGFA) to host regulatory compliance seminars in January. The NGFA/KGFA seminar is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Hays, Kan. Register online or access the flier. The NGFA/NeGFA seminar is Jan. 19 in Grand Island, Neb. Access the agenda and registration information here. These sessions will address regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Food and Drug Administration and the ... Read More

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently sent a rule that updates particulate matter pollution standards for grain elevators, including the treatment of temporary storage facilities, to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a 90-day interagency review. The final rule on new source performance standards (NSPS), sent to the OMB on Oct. 24, is expected to be complete in November. EPA says the rule will reduce particulate matter emissions by 31 tons annually at a cost of $2.3 million. The EPA’s last comprehensive review of its NSPS for grain elevators was ... Read More

The House of Representatives last week passed a bill that would delay implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule governing overtime pay, which will double the salary threshold below which executive, administrative and professional employees will have to be paid overtime for working more than 40 hours a week from the current salary of $23,660 annually to $47,476 annually. The Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act, passed by a vote of 246 to 177, would delay implementation of the rule from Dec. 1 of this year to June 1, 2017. However, the ... Read More

NGFA-member companies with farm supply operations will be heartened by the Sept. 22 ruling of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) acted illegally when it issued new requirements for fertilizer storage without a public comment period. According to the court, OSHA violated the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) with its actions. View the decision here. For the time being, it is estimated that the court’s decision saves U.S. fertilizer retailers more than $100 million in compliance ... Read More