Convergence Continues to Provide Product Compliance—Prevents Big Fines

convergence consulting provides compliance support to one of the largest retailers in North America for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) product compliance.  Products that make claims around control of germs, such as antimicrobial, mildew or mold resistant, or antibacterial as well as many other claims are regulated by US EPA.  If products fail to meet the federal or State regulatory requirements regarding use of the claims, it is the retailer or distributor that often faces the fines.

US Labor Department awards $10.5M in Workplace Safety and Health Training Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has awarded $10.5 million in one-year federal safety and health training grants to 77 nonprofit organizations nationwide. The grants will provide training and education for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces. They will also inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act. Target trainees include small-business employers and underserved vulnerable workers in high-hazard industries. Read more here.

Ontario Federation of Labour Calls for Review of Employment Laws After Temp Worker Deaths

A young woman was killed after a conveyor belt caught her clothing on September 2, 2016, at Fiera Foods, in Toronto’s West End. She was sent to work at the Fiera plant by a temp agency and had been on the job for less than three weeks before she was killed. This marks the third temp worker death at this factory. This week Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) President, Chris Buckley wrote to the Toronto Police asking for a criminal investigation into the most recent death. In 2004 the Canadian Criminal Code was amended by Bill C-45 and now provides special criminal negligence provisions for companies that disregard the health and safety of workers. The intent of the legislation is to hold employers criminally liable for the deaths of workers. The OFL has claimed that Ontario’s outdated labour laws are failing to protect workers. In response, the Ontario government is currently reviewing the province’s employment laws—allowing an opportunity to create the employment laws Ontario workers need. Read more here.

Trades Union Congress: Nearly Half of UK Workplaces Lacking Safety Inspections

A new survey put out by the Trades Union Congress shows that nearly half of UK workplaces have never had a health and safety inspection, with more that 80% of construction workplaces lacking any Health and Safety inspections at all. Manufacturing was the only sector that boasted a majority (57%) of safety reps claiming to have had an inspection from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) during the past year. By 2019/2020 government funding of the HSE will have been slashed by nearly half, and in recent years, local councils have reduced workplace inspections by 97%. The General Secretary for the Trades Union Congress has stated how “huge cuts to the HSE and to local authorities continue to undermine vital safety protections at work. That means more workers at risk of accidents in unsafe workplaces every day.” Read more here.

US Court of Appeals Approves Social Carbon Price

A unanimous decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld the government’s right to use a social carbon price to inform policymaking. This “upstream” tax targets the carbon contents of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas—as well as biofuels. The court’s decision rejected industry-backed litigation that challenged the Department of Energy’s use of a $36-per-metric ton estimated social cost of carbon under the argument that this figure is not based on “real-world” data. The federal court determined that being “limited or imperfect” is not a reason to dismiss the pricing model. That cost will rise to $50 a metric ton in 2030 and $69 a metric ton in 2050. This was the first time a court has considered the legality of the Obama administration’s accounting of the costs of greenhouse gas emissions. All three judges were Republican appointees. Read more here.