Highlights

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is exercising their new authority under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the outdated (and ineffective) Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). EPA named the first ten priority chemicals for assessment and is tasked with evaluating these chemicals to ensure there is not an unreasonable risk of injury to health.  In determining risk, EPA is required to consider vulnerable populations including: workers, infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly. WEC is highlighting the chemicals in a series of blog posts with information on how to make your voice heard and tell your story about chemical exposure. Chemical Two of Ten:  1-Bromopropane (a.k.a. n-Propyl Bromide, 1-BP) One of the most common uses of this chemical is a spray adhesive. It is used in workplaces that make foam cushions, fiber products, seat cushions, laminated products, and furniture.  Workers who are exposed to it may feel drunk, get a headache, or feel unusually nervous. Workers can also develop numbing in their hands and feet, tremors, and walking with a limp. Besides these neurological problems, this chemical is suspected to be a carcinogen and may cause reproductive disorders. 1-BP is also [...]

WEC recently helped launch Jersey Renews, a coalition of labor, community, environmental and faith based organizations pushing for stronger climate policies here in NJ. It's heartening to see Labor Education & Research Now at Rutgers University offering a course examining unions' responses to climate change. Participants in this online course will learn best practices for communicating about climate change with members and employers, and participate in discussions with other union leaders about the challenges and opportunities climate change presents. The class starts next week, so register today! There is also an upcoming conference planned for April 21 at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, Beyond Reconciliation: The Potential for Common Ground on the Environment and Labor. Considering the magnitude of our climate crisis, the risks to New Jersey, and the likelihood of federal inaction, connecting with our labor allies to push for strong climate policy (on a state and local level) is critically important.  

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is exercising their new authority under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the outdated (and ineffective) Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). EPA named the first ten priority chemicals for assessment and is tasked with evaluating these chemicals to ensure there is not an unreasonable risk of injury to health.  In determining risk, EPA is required to consider vulnerable populations including: workers, infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly. Over the next ten days, the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) will be highlighting the chemicals in a series of blog posts with information on how to make your voice heard and tell your story about chemical exposure.   Chemical One of Ten: Asbestos Asbestos was once called the “magic mineral” because its microscopic fibers are indestructible. Although it causes a deadly lung disease and cancer, hundreds of millions of tons of asbestos were used in construction material and consumer products in the U.S.  Workers involved in building maintenance, renovation and demolition can be exposed to asbestos, in particular in buildings constructed prior to 1980 when the chemical was used more widely. Some automotive brakes and clutches [...]

Congratulations to the first round of trainers to complete the Public Need over Corporate Greed trainer apprenticeship program! Over the course of two days, more than 30 participants discussed movement building, the economics of both social and income inequality, and the concrete steps we can take to build a more equitable economy which works for everyone, not just big banks and Wall Street firms. During the intensive program, led by Les Leopold, author of Runaway Inequality and director of The Labor Institute, activists engaged in a robust conversation on the powerful interests that keep us organizing on the defensive. One of the key takeaways: until we address the structural issues in our system, which allow so few to have so much power and influence, we will continue to nibble at the edges, to be told there “just isn’t enough money” to provide a clean, safe environment, and good jobs. We are already planning our second trainer apprenticeship sessions, which will be held March 3rd and 4th in Trenton. We need your passion, your voice, and your action, but space is limited to 20 participants. Join us; understand what is happening to our economy and learn how you can facilitate a discussion about [...]

Urge Your Representatives to Stand Up for First Responders and Public Safety Vote NO on House Joint Resolution 59 and Senate Joint Resolution 28 After the West Texas Fertilizer Explosion in 2013 that killed 15 people, including first responders, the Obama Administration focused on chemical policies. President Obama signed Executive Order 13650, Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security, to reduce risks associated with hazardous chemical incidents by enhancing the safety and security of chemical facilities; the EO also created an interagency working group including the Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Obama Administration spent more than three years conducting listening sessions and getting stakeholder input to strike the right balance while updating the Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program (RMP).  RMP covers 12,500 commercial and industrial facilities that use or store large amounts of toxic chemicals. The final rule was issued January 13, 2017. The amendments were modest, but important steps for preventing chemical disasters. However, with the election of a new President, we can expect changes in chemical policies. The ink is barely dry in the federal register and House Joint Resolution 59 was introduced by Representative Markwayne Mullin (R –OK-2) and [...]

As of January 26, 2017, we believe the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still exercising their new authority under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the outdated (and ineffective) Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). On Nov. 29, 2016, the EPA named the first ten priority chemicals for assessment. EPA is tasked with evaluating these chemicals to ensure there is not an unreasonable risk of injury to health.  This determination is made without consideration to costs. In determining risk, EPA is required to consider vulnerable populations including: workers, infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly. Although we have already witnessed changes at EPA, we do anticipate that TSCA reform work will continue to move forward. The 2016 reform was passed with bipartisan support. The ten priority chemicals to be evaluated are: 1,4-Dioxane, 1-Bromopropane, Asbestos, Carbon Tetrachloride, Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster, Methylene Chloride, N-methylpyrrolidone, Pigment Violet 29, Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene, and Trichloroethylene. Don’t recognize any of these chemicals? The Environmental Defense Fund has developed an excellent factsheet on products that contain these chemicals.  And for more information on how TSCA may impact workplaces, see the National Institute for Health Sciences Factsheet. [...]

WEC is excited to have Vivian Chang join us as an intern for this semester, beginning today!       Vivian is a second-year Master in Public Affairs (MPA) candidate at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, concentrating in environmental policy. Vivian previously served as an AmeriCorps VISTA addressing public education and volunteerism. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from Carnegie Mellon University, with a minor in environmental science. She is excited to work with WEC on pressing environmental and labor issues, and key policy topics for New Jersey. In the coming weeks, Vivian will be assisting us with our campaign to Address Climate Change.

On Jan. 4, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one repeat and two failure-to-abate violations. Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA’s Parsippany Area Office stated: “Our follow-up inspection found that two County Concrete employees were exposed to silica above the permissible limit as they cleaned concrete mixers." In 2013, OSHA cited this company for these same hazards, “Employers must bear the responsibility of fully complying with respiratory protection requirements to protect the safety and health of their workers.” OSHA’s Final Silica Rule took effect on June 23, 2016 OSHA estimates that the rule will save over 600 lives and prevent more than 900 new cases of silicosis each year, once its effects are fully realized. The Final Rule is projected to provide net benefits of about $7.7 billion, annually. This rule will help protect approximately 2.3 million workers who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica in their workplaces, including 2 million construction workers who drill, cut, crush, or grind silica-containing materials such as concrete and stone, and 300,000 workers in general industry operations, such as brick manufacturing, foundries, and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Industries have from one to five years to comply with most [...]