Regulatory
Copy REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2019
Canadian Federal News
Sept 1, 2019 to Sept 30, 2019 – Environment and Climate Change Canada
The federal government, through Environment and Climate Change Canada, is asking interested agencies, organizations and individuals to provide comments on the draft binational strategy for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) risk management. The strategy can be found under Annex 3 on binational.net. The feedback will be used to finalize this strategy as per Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
If a substance is determined to be toxic as defined in section 64 of CEPA 1999, the Minister has an obligation to make risk management instruments for any toxic substance that met the criteria set out under s 73 of CEPA. The conclusions and risk management measures for flame retardant substances are summarized in four tables, as follows:
- Table 1 – Flame retardants found not harmful to human health or the environment
- Table 2 – Flame retardants found not harmful to human health or the environment with a caution statement and associated risk management measures
- Table 3 – Flame retardants found harmful to human health or the environment and associated risk management measures
- Table 4 – Flame retardants under assessment
Canadian Provincial News
(Sam Tecle, Gowling WLG) The British Columbia government recently implemented changes to the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Code. These changes have important implications for both unionized and non-unionized workers. This bulletin provides an overview of some of the significant changes.
Asbestos-related diseases remain the leading cause of work-related deaths in Saskatchewan, accounting for 23 per cent of the 388 work-related deaths in Saskatchewan from 2009 to 2018. This is why WorkSafe Saskatchewan – the partnership between the WCB and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety – has a provincial awareness campaign underway to educate the public on the danger of asbestos.
Do you know that having a solid health and safety program that gets positive results can save you money?
Under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) new premium rate-setting model, which comes into effect on January 1, 2020, your individual claims experience will be taken into consideration when your premium is set.
Developed for industry in consultation with employers, safety associations and WCB relationship managers, these kits contain materials like posters, decals and a card game to remind workers why they work safely.
US News
Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PMHSA) is working with states and pipeline operators within the path of Hurricane Dorian, or that could be potentially affected by the hurricane, to remove obstacles that would prevent safe and rapid recovery efforts. Operators continue to aggressively implement their hurricane preparedness plans and are taking actions to minimize the impact of the storm.
On August 30, 2019, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) will begin the process of transitioning to exclusively electronic communications through the Central Data Exchange (CDX) for Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Section 5 acknowledgement letters. To assist TSCA Section 5 submitters with the transition to the new method of receiving acknowledgment letters, EPA will send both a paper acknowledgement letter and an electronic acknowledgement letter delivered through CDX. The paper acknowledgment letter will note that an electronic communication has also been delivered to the submitter’s CDX account. EPA will stop sending the paper TSCA Section 5 acknowledgement letters on September 30, 2019 and will only send the electronic communications after this date.
Effective September 1, 2019 the US will impose duties on List 4A. Every product subject to a proposed or ongoing Section 301 tariff action is identified by an 8-digit or 10-digit HTS Subheading. This search engine allows you to search by an 8-digit HTS Subheading to obtain information about a proposed or ongoing Section 301 tariff action.
President Trump has instructed the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to increase by 5% the tariffs on approximately $550 billion worth of Chinese imports. For the 25% tariffs on approximately $250 billion worth of Chinese imports, USTR will begin the process of increasing the tariff rate to 30%, effective October 1 following a notice and comment period. For the 10% tariffs on approximately $300 billion worth of Chinese imports that the President announced earlier this month, the tariffs will now be 15%, effective on the already scheduled dates for tariff increases on these imports.
International News
The fifteenth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-15) will be held from 1 to 4 October 2019 at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. At its fifteenth meeting, the Committee will consider, among other things, a draft risk management evaluation on perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds and two proposals for listing new chemicals in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention; Dechlorane Plus submitted by Norway and Methoxychlor submitted by the European Union. The meeting will also consider the work on the review of information related to specific exemptions for decabromodiphenyl ether and short-chain chlorinated paraffins in accordance with the processes specified in decisions SC-8/13 and SC-8/14.
The fifteenth meeting of the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention will be held at the same venue as POPRC from 8 to 10 October 2019. At its fifteenth meeting, the Committee will consider the draft decision guidance document for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds, developed by the intersessional drafting group. Additionally, in line with the procedures for banned or severely restricted chemicals (Article 5, Paragraphs 5 and 6), the Committee will review the notifications of final regulatory action forwarded by the Secretariat, in accordance to the criteria set out in Annex II to the Convention for amitrole, decabromodiphenyl ether and nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates.
Experts are currently meeting to discuss a new ISO standard that will help quantify the climate impacts of substances that up until now have not been easily quantifiable.
The new standard under development is based on a concept called radiative forcing, which is the difference between the energy from the sun absorbed by the earth and the energy radiated back into space. When incoming energy exceeds energy outgoing, the earth’s atmosphere will warm, and global temperatures rise.
Locally sourced, sustainably produced, or made with love – claims on labels that speak to our ethical side have grown astronomically in recent years. How do we know which claims are true, and what they really mean? New international guidance has just been published to help make things clearer. The first ISO technical specification for such claims has just been published, in a bid to clear up the confusion and provide a means for organizations to provide information that is credible, accurate and verifiable.
ISO/TS 17033, Ethical claims and supporting information — Principles and requirements, sets out internationally agreed ways to make a credible ethical claim.
You must submit an annual report or online declaration to us if you introduced new chemicals for the 2018-19 registration year under our exemption provisions. The registration year covers 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2019.
Polymers of low concern (PLCs)
If you introduced a PLC under our exemption provisions, we also require an annual report or online declaration from you. PLCs became exempt from notification earlier this year.
Other Relevant Information
Safety Share
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Sept. 15-21. Throughout that week, enforcement officials will conduct roadside safety inspections on commercial motor vehicles throughout North America. Vehicles with critical brake violations, or other critical vehicle inspection item violations, will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected. Vehicles without critical vehicle inspection item violations are eligible to receive a CVSA decal indicating that the vehicle passed inspection.
During this year’s Brake Safety Week, inspectors will be paying special attention to brake hoses/tubing. While checking these brake system components is always part of the North American Standard Inspection Program, CVSA is highlighting brake hoses/tubing as a reminder of their importance to vehicle mechanical fitness and safety.
The purpose of a hazardous occurrence investigation is to find the root causes, address gaps, and prevent similar events from occurring. As a federal employer, you are required to investigate, record and report all accidents, occupational diseases and other hazardous occurrences, as part of the Canada Labour Code, Part II. You must also support committees and health and safety representatives during the investigative process.
The past few months have delivered a number of powerful and damaging natural disasters across the US. From earthquakes and wildfires in the west, tornadoes in the Midwest and hurricanes across northern and southern states, no one part of the country has been immune to the mighty force of nature.
As a result of these events, building owners and managers of industrial and commercial facilities face the daunting process of disaster recovery. More specifically, when electrical systems are damaged in a natural or man-made disaster, electricians need to make critical decisions about whether the electrical equipment that was damaged can be salvaged or not.
As a complement to National Preparedness Month in September, a new NFPA checklist has been developed for electricians that helps highlight and simplify key aspects of this decision-making process. The checklist is based on recommendations in Chapter 32 of NFPA 70B®, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance (2019 edition). Following these straightforward suggestions can help make the difference between an impossible task and an informed decision.
The checklist includes:
- a list of disaster scenarios, which can inflict damage of varying degrees to facilities
- steps for assessing equipment
- a Priority Assessment Table
- steps to help identify factors for replacement or repair
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