Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
This week’s newsletter regrettably features some disturbing items on workplace fatalities and injuries in the food sector. These incidents were all preventable. Please remember that as an employer you are required to provide a safe workplace and every employee has the right to return home safely after work. Food safety programs must include and embrace worker safety. We can help you meet this important societal responsibility and legal obligation. A worker employed by L.Z. Refrigeration Inc. was fatally injured at the workplace while operating an Elevating Work Platform (EWP). Yuqin Liu failed as a supervisor to ensure that a worker worked in a manner and with the protective devices, measures and procedures as required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Standards Council of Canada SCC is seeking a Canadian senior executive with environmental management experience to become the next Chair of ISO/Technical Committee (TC) 207 – Environmental management. National Post – starting Sept. 1, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will pay an extra 20 cents per litre on sugar-sweetened beverages like iced teas and pop. The purpose of the weeklong celebration is to recognize the important contributions made by the 400,000 Canadian men and women who keep the country’s freight moving. It begins on the first Sunday in Sept. and runs to the following Saturday. There is evidence that substances that are chemically related (i.e. analogues and derivatives) to the fentanyl precursor, N-Phenyl-4-piperidinamine and its salts, are being imported into Canada and used in the illegal production of fentanyl. Although the substance N-Phenyl-4-piperidinamine and its salts is already scheduled as a precursor under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and its Precursor Control Regulations (PCR), its related analogues and derivatives are not controlled. It is critical that analogues and derivatives of N-Phenyl-4-piperidinamine and its salts be scheduled under the CDSA to prevent their importation, distribution and use in the illegal production of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. A call for proposals has opened to support domestic biomass feedstock infrastructure to establish sustainable supply chains that align with the Clean Fuels Regulations. Food fraud can occur at any step in the food processing continuum (raw product, processing, packaging, labelling, retail, etc.) with both imported and domestic food products. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is committed to working with the food industry on ways to address this growing concern. Revision of ICH Q3D(R2) for cutaneous and transdermal products. The ministers assessed information on 11 chemicals and polymers new to Canada and determined that they meet the criteria for addition to the Domestic Substances List, under subsection 87(5) of CEPA. These 11 substances are therefore being added to the Domestic Substances List and, as a result, are no longer subject to the New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers).
Webinars are free and offer interactive information on Alberta employment standards rules and responsibilities. Employers that employ 25 or more employees on January 1, 2022 have until October 11, 2022 to have a written policy on the electronic monitoring of employees in place. The policy must include specified information and employers must provide a copy of the written policy to all employees and to all assignment employees who are assigned to perform work for that employer. Three workers were operating a mixer that makes sausages. As they were emptying the contents into two-wheeled bins at the outfeed to clean the mixer, one worker reached into the discharge hole, seriously injuring themselves. JBS Foods Ontario Inc. failed to ensure the machine had a guard or other device to prevent access to the pinch points. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is making available two resources to answer stakeholder questions regarding the revised biotechnology regulations under 7 CFR part 340. The second resource is updated Confirmation Request Guidance. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released guidance on the agency’s “Accidental Release Reporting Rule,” which went into effect in March 2020. The new guidance is provided so that owners and operators of facilities involved in the production, processing, handling, or storage of chemical substances may better understand the rule and comply with the requirement to submit a report to the CSB within eight hours after an accidental release has occurred that results in a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damage. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend its Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations as a result of Agency review. The proposed revisions include several changes and amplifications to the accident prevention program requirements, enhancements to the emergency preparedness requirements, increased public availability of chemical hazard information, and several other changes to certain regulatory definitions or points of clarification. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration amends the regulations for the annual registration fees States collect from motor carriers, motor private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement for the 2023 registration year and subsequent registration years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two listening sessions to collect input on the development of a new grant opportunity made possible by the $100 million investment in the agency’s Pollution Prevention (P2) program The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of the final revision to the risk determination for the Colour Index Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) risk evaluation issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Our European partner, Ekotox EU is hosting information sessions as a high number of authorisation applications are expected for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) uses in the coming years; the way of information sessions for these uses will be changed. In the future, will be organised for groups of several applicants. The European Commission has published a draft proposal to restrict microplastics in products. The consolidated opinions of the Committees for Risk Assessment and Socio-economic Analysis for 1,6,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,17,18,18-Dodecachloropentacyclo[12.2.1.16,9.02,13.05,10]octadeca-7,15-diene (“Dechlorane Plus”™) (EC -, CAS -) submitted by Norway are now available. New substance evaluation conclusion documents are now available for 1,3-dioxolane (EC 211-463-5, CAS 646-06-0) and 1,4-Benzenediamine, N,N’-mixed phenyl and tolyl derivatives (BENPAT) (EC 273-227-8, CAS 68953-84-4). At the commencement of AICIS on 1 July 2020, a period of transition commenced, providing time for introducers to ensure their compliance under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 and related legislation. The final day of the transition period is 31 August 2022. (LiveMint) Government officials in India have ordered handlers of edible oils to report the net quantity of goods without mentioning the temperature at which the reading was taken, and to ensure the declared volume and mass of packages are correct. The new policy takes effect Jan. 15, 2023. Safety Share Is your workplace reviewing its work arrangements? Work styles may change but the basics of ergonomics remain the same. A musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention plan can help workers minimize the risk of MSD injuries. Driving is an activity many of us do every day. But it comes with risks – at work and off the clock – that are often overlooked. The conference will consist of a series of virtual sessions between September 8 and October 13, 2022. CHEMTREC’s International Hazmat Summit will take place from September 12-14, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and will be honoring the past, present and future of the hazmat industry. The 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo will offer more than 125 educational opportunities including Professional Development Seminars, Keynotes and Technical Sessions. All designed to help you advance your career, earn CEUs and provide new skills to help you perform your day-to-day job better. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment will organise the second part of the Fourth Annual Forum on Endocrine Disruptors on 21-22 September 2022, in collaboration with the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). Theme: Collaborating for good The Summit is a full day event that will feature three panels, including an enforcers roundtable. Registrations are free and open to all virtually. Rodbell Auditorium, NIEHS, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) ALT launched in 2021 as a virtual event that focused on alternative food products, alternative technologies and innovative alternatives to how the food industry produces and distributes products to end users. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) co-ordinates, develops and leads national initiatives to help farmers, their families and workers recognize and manage safety risks. Safety starts with identifying hazards. Some are obvious, staring us in the face. This educational, two-day in person event will address topical workplace challenges employers face and provide insight on how to create a healthy and safe work environment. The discussions will also focus on hot topics in Food Safety Management Systems. The Global Forum on Environment on Mercury will bring together leading actors in the field of chemicals and waste management of mercury to promote effective engagement, collaboration and action on eliminating or reducing mercury from the supply chain. SQF Unites offers a unique combination of educational formats and engagement activities that you can tailor to meet your company and personal goals.Advocacy
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