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Regulatory Compliance News & Updates

Keep up to date on the latest
developments affecting OSHA, DOT,
EPA, and DOL
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Safety & Compliance News

Regulations change quickly. Compliance Network ensures you never miss a relevant update with a personalized feed of featured news and analysis, industry highlights, and more.

RECENT INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Final rule extends TSCA Section 8(d) health and safety reporting deadline
2026-05-22T05:00:00Z

Final rule extends TSCA Section 8(d) health and safety reporting deadline

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on May 22, 2026, extending the reporting deadline for the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(d) Health and Safety Data Reporting Rule from May 22, 2026, to May 21, 2027.

Who’s impacted?

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2026-05-22T05:00:00Z

Where workplace exposure meets air permitting: Bridging OSHA industrial hygiene and EPA air programs

Air quality inside a facility and emissions leaving a stack are closely linked. The same chemicals that drive occupational exposure limits under OSHA often form the basis of regulated air pollutants under EPA programs. When industrial hygiene (IH) and environmental compliance teams work together, they can spot risks sooner, strengthen controls, and avoid surprises in permits or inspections. The overlap is practical. Worker exposure data can inform stack testing, and permit conditions can signal where IH monitoring should focus.

Shared chemistry, different lenses

Both programs start with the same substances such as solvents, metals, acids, and combustion byproducts. IH focuses on what workers breathe in the workplace. It uses exposure limits such as OSHA permissible exposure limits or more protective guidelines from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Environmental air programs focus on what leaves the property. They regulate criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and toxics using emission limits, control requirements, and reporting rules.

Key differences that matter

The point of exposure is the biggest difference. IH evaluates the breathing zone of a worker during a task or shift. Environmental programs measure emissions at a release point, such as a stack, or estimate them across the site.

The time frame also differs. IH often looks at short-term peaks and full-shift averages to protect health during work. Air permits may set hourly, daily, or annual limits, and they may cap total emissions per year. Control strategies follow these goals. IH may rely on local exhaust ventilation, enclosure, or work practice changes. Air permits may require add-on controls such as thermal oxidizers, scrubbers, or filters.

Practical crossover: Using IH to inform permitting

IH data can reveal which tasks generate the highest concentrations and which compounds dominate exposure. That insight can refine emission estimates. For example, if wipe cleaning with a solvent produces the highest worker exposure, the same solvent may drive facility-wide volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The environmental team can use that knowledge to prioritize accurate emission factors, refine mass balance, or plan stack testing during peak operations.

IH data also helps define realistic operating scenarios for compliance testing. Stack tests that occur only at typical loads may miss worst case conditions. Pairing test timing with identified peak tasks can provide a more representative test and reduce the risk of later noncompliance.

Practical crossover: Using permits to inform IH

Air permits define regulated compounds, control devices, and operating limits. These details can guide IH planning. If a permit lists specific HAPs or requires a control device for a process, there is a clear signal that exposure to those compounds is possible near the source. IH can target those areas for baseline sampling, validate control performance, and confirm that capture systems are effective where workers are present.

Permit conditions also flag upset and startup modes. These periods can increase emissions. IH can align monitoring during these windows to assess short term exposures and ensure that work practices and protective measures are adequate.

Aligning controls for dual benefit

Engineering controls can serve both goals when designed as a system. Capture at the source reduces worker exposure and lowers emissions to the stack. Good enclosure and balanced ventilation improve control efficiency and reduce fugitive releases. Preventive maintenance on control devices supports permit limits and keeps workplace air clean.

Administrative controls can align as well. Standard operating procedures can link production rates, control device settings, and ventilation checks. Change management should include both IH review and an air permitting check to see if a modification triggers a permit update.

Communication and workflows

Successful crossover depends on routine communication. Regular meetings between safety and environmental staff help share results, plan sampling, and coordinate testing windows. Shared inventories of chemicals and processes reduce duplication and errors. A common data platform, or at least a consistent file structure, makes it easier to compare IH results with emission estimates and permit limits.

Clear triggers help teams act. Examples include a new chemical introduction, a process change, a spike in IH results, or a deviation in control device performance. Each trigger should prompt both an IH review and an environmental compliance check.

Key to remember: When teams connect their data and plans, they gain a clearer picture of risk. The result is stronger compliance, better worker protection, and more efficient operations.

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Inbound hazmat risks you can’t ignore
2026-05-21T05:00:00Z

Inbound hazmat risks you can’t ignore

Most hazmat programs are built around outbound shipments, which makes complete sense. You control what you ship, how it’s packaged, and how it’s described. However, one thing that normally gets overlooked is where undeclared hazmat shows up the most, and that’s with inbound shipments. Even if you didn’t create the problem, your team is the one handling it when it arrives.

The main reason this happens comes down to control. When you ship something out, you know exactly what’s in the package. On inbound shipments, you’re relying on suppliers to classify, package, and communicate hazards correctly. Not all of them have the same level of awareness or compliance discipline.

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OSHA advisory panel clears way for tree care rulemaking
2026-05-21T05:00:00Z

OSHA advisory panel clears way for tree care rulemaking

OSHA received the backing of an advisory committee as it advances a comprehensive Tree Care Operations proposal. During this week’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) meeting, the group unanimously voted 8-0 in favor of moving ahead.

ACCSH recommended that “OSHA proceed with the new Tree Care Operations standard under general industry and make necessary changes with applicable parts of [the construction standards at] 29 CFR 1926.” The nod clears a path for OSHA to publish its long-awaited proposal.

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Federal overtime threshold rule gone, for now
2026-05-21T05:00:00Z

Federal overtime threshold rule gone, for now

On May 15, members of Congress introduced a bill that would gradually increase the overtime salary threshold for determining whether employees may be classified as exempt under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

This news came on the heels of the U.S. Department of Labor's official rescission of the 2024 rule that increased the threshold. That rule was challenged in federal court, and employers didn’t have to comply with it since it was vacated in November 2024.

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