Australian Workers Potentially Exposed to Chinese Asbestos

The Australian Workers’ Union is demanding a review of whether workers were exposed to asbestos fibers from 10-metre high heat exchanger tubes, which were delivered to Port Pirie from China. The work site has been shut down while the risks of exposure are assessed and cleared. AWU National Secretary Scott McDine said a full inquiry into the incident was necessary, stating “we need to find out how on earth a contractor thought it was appropriate to deliver an asbestos-laden piece of equipment to an Australian site. The question remains, was the Chinese company aware of Australian standards, and if so, did they intentionally disregard them? McDine believes workers have a right to know. Read more here.

Walmart Shows Promising Results After Adoption of 2014 "Sustainable Chemistry Policy"

After committing to a 2014 policy that oversees the removal of harmful chemicals from consumer products, Walmart announced a 95% reduction by weight in the use of high priority chemicals of concern back in April. The three primary commitments of this policy encompassed:

•  An increased transparency of product ingredients, such as full product formulations and online disclosure;

• Advance safer formulations of products—attempting to achieve complete elimination of Priority Chemicals and High Priority Chemicals; and

• Attaining U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice certification (formerly Design for the Environment) of Walmart private brand products.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has applauded the progress Walmart has made in regards to their new chemical guidelines, writing how “Walmart’s policy is working because it hits on every one of EDF's five pillars of leadership for safer chemicals in the marketplace.” Some of the suggestions for future improvement include: extending sustainable chemistry philosophy across all products and all stores globally; adopting stronger disclosure standards for products ingredients; and maintaining momentum by continuing to publish progress, which may resonate with the public and provide an incentive for other retailers to follow Walmart’s lead. Read more here.

Zimbabwe: Trade Unions Embrace Climate Change

Trade unions in Africa are moving to embrace climate change and green collar jobs that preserve or restore the environment in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. These trade unions are also prepared to negotiate a just transition from the conventional jobs to green jobs in order to ensure the involvement of workers and communities, minimize job losses, reduce poverty and improve income and industrial development. Japhet Moyo, the Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), has said the job market was now mutating into green jobs and trade unions cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye to climate change issues as workers were the most vulnerable group of green economies. Read more here.

US Department of Labor Announces New Rules—Increasing OSHA Penalties

US Department of Labor has announced two interim rules to adjust its penalties for inflation based on the last time each penalty was increased. The Bipartisan Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015 requires agencies such as OSHA to adjust the levels of civil monetary penalties with an initial catch-up adjustment, followed by annual adjustments for inflation. The new civil penalty amounts are applicable only to civil penalties assessed after Aug. 1, 2016, whose associated violations occurred after Nov. 2, 2015. Businesses that are inspected before the effective date, but receive citations once these sanctions are in place will have the newly adopted penalties adjusted to their citation. Some of the rules published under the 2015 law will modernize some penalties that have long lost ground to inflation. OSHA’s maximum penalties, which have not been raised since 1990, will increase by 78 percent. The top penalty for serious violations will rise from $7,000 to $12,471. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $70,000 to $124,709. Read more here.

Foreseeable Renovation of US Chemical Safety Laws

Congress has reached agreement on the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. chemical safety laws in 40 years. “It could be one of the most historic moments in environmental law in our country,” said Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass). The compromise will provide the industry with greater certainty while empowering the Environmental Protection Agency to obtain more information about a chemical before approving its use.  After passage, the EPA must start reviewing at least 10 toxic chemicals that permeate communities across the country, a list that is likely to include asbestos, formaldehyde and flame retardants. Many are interwoven into people’s experience with everyday products, including the ink on their morning newspaper and the fabric protector on their family’s sofa. The deal, which both sides have pursued since President Obama first term in office, gives the Environmental Protection Agency the power to require companies to provide health and safety data for untested chemicals and to prevent substances from reaching the market if they have not been determined to be safe. The measure could come up for a vote in both chambers as soon as next week. Read more here.