Author: Conversion Technology

News You Can Use

Posted on by Conversion Technology

Adam Haroz, CTI’s Director of Engineering, will be speaking at this year’s American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) conference. He will be presenting on the topic of Robot Risk Assessment Requirements. He will review the updated standards and regulations around robot safety, as well as risk assessment methodologies and risk reduction techniques. The presentation will be on Monday, June 5th.

https://safety.assp.org/

The creation of the NFPA 660 standards is in the works. The NFPA standards governing combustible dust are being combined into a new overarching standard, NFPA 660. The first public comment period has ended. The updated standard is expected to be published early next year.

https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=660

 

What to Expect from OSHA in 2023

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Each year, OSHA continues to review and revise its rules and regulations to better address the biggest issues going on in the world of labor. Therefore, it should also be important for you to follow along with these updates in order to ensure that your employees are safe, your programs are updated, and that you are safe in the event of an OSHA audit. Following what happens in OSHA can also allow you to become aware of issues that your own facility may face that you were previously unaware of.

Some of the major issues that may prove relevant to you that were either mentioned in the latter half of 2022 or have already been mentioned in 2023 include: Continue reading “What to Expect from OSHA in 2023” →

Georgia Emissions Inventories for Calendar Year 2022

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It is time to complete your Air Emissions Inventory (EI) reporting for Calendar Year 2022. Every year, federal regulations require that all state agencies responsible for regulating air pollution collect emissions data from certain facilities. EI reporting opened on February 6, 2023 and is due by June 30, 2023 for Georgia facilities. All Title V facilities whose potential to emit (PTE) emissions is equal to or exceeds the following thresholds in Calendar Year 2022 are required to submit emissions data: Continue reading “Georgia Emissions Inventories for Calendar Year 2022” →

Are You in Compliance with Your Air Permit?

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If your facility is operating under a state-issued Air Permit, then there are a number of permit requirements you must meet in order to stay in compliance. Permit requirements can consist of emission/operating limits, testing, monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping as well as a long list of general provisions. Whether you have a Minor Source Permit, Synthetic Minor/Conditional Major Source Permit, or a Title V Major Source Permit, your permit will contain a combination of, if not all, these requirements.

If your facility has an Air Permit, there is always a possibility for your state agency to conduct an onsite inspection, sometimes unannounced, at any time. It is best to be prepared for an inspection to avoid any violations and potential fines.

Continue reading “Are You in Compliance with Your Air Permit?” →

OSHA’s Most Cited Violations in 2022

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OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is responsible for the safety and well-being of all public employees throughout the country. As you are likely aware, OSHA maintains a large list of regulations and requirements in 29 CFR 1910. Each year, OSHA releases statistics on what the most common violations and citations are related to. This year’s top most cited violations for all industries include: Continue reading “OSHA’s Most Cited Violations in 2022” →

Does Your States Have a State OSHA?

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Most people are already aware that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laws and regulations cover most private sector employers and workers in all 50 states, DC, and other US jurisdictions. However, it is less known that several states have their own specific OSHA approved state plans. These state plans are largely funded by OSHA but allow each state to set their own specific standards. Do not get too excited though, as each state plan is required to be at least as effective as the Federal OSHA laws and regulations, if not more so.

There are currently 22 states and US territories that maintain their own OSHA approved state plans: Continue reading “Does Your States Have a State OSHA?” →

Redesignation of the Atlanta Nonattainment Area to Attainment for the 2015 Ozone Standards

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Non-attainment area is an area considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as defined in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970.

Non-attainment areas must have and implement a plan to meet the standard, or risk losing some forms of federal financial assistance.

An area may be a non-attainment area for one pollutant and an “attainment area” for others. In October 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the approval of Georgia’s request to have the Atlanta Nonattainment area redesignated to attainment status for ozone Nation Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The Atlanta Nonattainment Area includes the counties of Bartow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnnett, and Henry. Continue reading “Redesignation of the Atlanta Nonattainment Area to Attainment for the 2015 Ozone Standards” →

Georgia EPD Annual Reports Requirements

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The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) calendar year 2022 Annual Reports are due to be submitted by January 31, 2023.  The Annual Reports will need to be submitted through the EPD’s online portal GEOS  located at https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/GovEnt/Shared/Pages/Main/Login.aspx.

The new Annual Report format for the 2022 Industrial General Storm Water Permit (IGP) has not yet been populated in the GEOS portal; however, it should be available early January. In preparation to submit the annual report the Responsible Official (RO) will need to collect compliance data for calendar year 2022 such as: Continue reading “Georgia EPD Annual Reports Requirements” →