Category Archives: Environment, Health and Safety

IPC Meets with EPA Transition Team on RCRA Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule

March 14, 2017 – 9:29 am

IPC met last week with EPA senior staff to discuss our concerns with the recently published Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule and the February 24 petition for review filed with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by IPC and eight other trade associations. Although EPA’s rule includes some common-sense updates that will bring greater efficiency […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in IPC, Regulations | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Electronics Manufacturers in China Must Join New Pollution Tracking System

February 3, 2017 – 8:11 pm

On January 23, 2017, the Chinese government published a list of industries, including computer, communications and electronic equipment manufacturing, that will be required to register under the new critical monitoring system outlined in November 2016.  The system will track companies’ air and water discharges, which may be taxed. While more than 20 industries must register […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in electronics, Government Relations, Manufacturing | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

ECHA Guidance on Substances in Articles Delayed Until Summer

February 2, 2017 – 4:06 pm

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced earlier this week that the update of their guidance on Substances in Articles will not be published until July or August 2017.  ECHA had previously indicated that guidance would be released in early 2017. The delay is needed to allow ECHA to evaluate the nearly 700 comments on its […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in IPC | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

RoHS Exemptions Unlikely to Be Published Before Fall 2017

January 23, 2017 – 3:02 pm

The EU Commission and Member States continue to meet to discuss the disposition of RoHS exemption renewal requests submitted by industry in January 2015.  During their December 15, 2016 meeting in Brussels, the experts reviewed requests on: Lead as an alloying element in steel (Annex III exemption 6a); Lead as an alloying element in aluminum […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in Regulations | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

U.S. EPA Issues Nano Reporting Rule

January 20, 2017 – 2:20 pm

On, January 12, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a rule requiring one-time reporting and recordkeeping requirements on nanoscale chemical substances in the marketplace. Nanoscale materials have special properties related to their small size such as greater strength and lighter weight, however, they may take on different properties than their conventionally-sized counterpart. Nanoparticles […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in Regulations | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

ECHA Adds Four Substances to REACH Candidate List

January 3, 2017 – 2:13 pm

Four more substances will be added to the REACH candidate list in January after ECHA’s Member State Committee unanimously agreed they should be designated as substances of very high concern (SVHC). This will bring the total number of substances on the list to 173. The four substances are bisphenol A, the perfluorinated chemical PFDA (nonadecafluorodecanoic […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in Compliance, IPC | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

OSHA Issues Recordkeeping Rule Enforcement Memorandum

December 22, 2016 – 1:45 pm

Last week, OSHA released a November 10 memorandum which summarized enforcement of a recordkeeping rule that was finalized in May 2016. Under the memorandum, OSHA says its inspectors can cite employers for discouraging workers from reporting injuries and illnesses without identifying an employee who didn’t make a report. The inspector only has to identify a […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in IPC | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

 OSHA Extends Record-Keeping Violation Window to Five Years

December 22, 2016 – 7:51 am

On December 16, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule which extends the government’s window for citing employers for failing to record on-the-job injuries or illnesses from six months to five years. The rule overturns a 2012 federal appeals court ruling, commonly called Volks II, which upheld a six-month statute of […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in IPC, Legislation | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

EPA Announces First Ten Substances to be Reviewed Under LSCA

November 30, 2016 – 2:39 pm

On November 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first 10 chemicals that will be undergo risk evaluations under the recently reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):  1,4-Dioxane  1-Bromopropane  Asbestos  Carbon Tetrachloride  Cyclic Aliphatic Bromides Cluster  Methylene Chloride  N-methylpyrrolidone  Pigment Violet 29  Tetrachloroethylene, also known as Perchloroethylene  Trichloroethylene Many of the listed solvents, […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in IPC, Regulations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

EU Commission Launches Consultation on Two New Exemption Requests

November 15, 2016 – 11:10 am

The EU RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. BiPRO GmbH has been commissioned by DG ENV to provide technical assistance regarding the evaluation of applications and the related stakeholder consultations, for the following two new exemptions: Cadmium in video cameras designed for use in environments exposed to […]

By Fern Abrams | Also posted in Government Relations, IPC, Regulations, Technical | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment