…Recently, several incidents of fake COVID vaccines being administered to the population of various countries were reported. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) had identified counterfeit versions of Covishield (manufactured by the Serum Institute of India), which became a major cause of concern for stakeholders across the world. Apart from it, Pfizer’s fake vaccine vials were also found in some parts of the US, along with other parts of the globe. Since vaccines are key in the fight against the COVID-19 virus which has held the world at ransom, the circulation of fake vaccines is a disaster in making. Speaking in this regard, Nakul Pasricha, President, Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), highlights that the consumers need to be assured that they are receiving a genuine and safe product that is manufactured with the highest standards of quality. He states, “Secured pharma packaging plays a vital role in protecting […]
…On October 13, 2021, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will hold a virtual meeting (via telephone and Microsoft Teams) to receive public comments and suggestions regarding OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. Notably, the public meeting comes six weeks after OSHA announced a change in its interpretation of the whistleblower provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, encoded at 29 U.S.C. § 660(c)(1). On September 03, 2021, based on U.S. Supreme Court decisions, OSHA amended its interpretation of the Act’s anti-retaliation provision to require that whistleblowers meet the “but for” standard to prove that their protected activity caused the adverse action. This supplants the previous interpretation that accepted the “substantial reason” test for causation, which was easier for claimants to satisfy. Stakeholders who want to participate must register one week before the meeting, on Wednesday, October 6, 2021. (This is also […]
…CHICAGO (AP) — A federal agency has recommended that Tootsie Roll Industries pay more than $136,000 in fines after a machine at its Chicago plant cut off part of an employee’s finger earlier this year. In a news release, the U.S. Department of Labor said that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued one willful violation “for inadequate machine guarding” and proposed the fines after an investigation into the April 19 incident. According to the release, a 48-year-old employee had reached into a machine to remove stuck paper debris when a bag sealer snapped shut on one of his fingers. And the Labor Department said the incident happened after the company had allowed the machine’s access doors to remain unguarded. “Hundreds of workers are injured needlessly each year because employers ignore safety guards, often to speed up production, and that’s exactly what happened in this case,” OSHA Chicago […]
ESG risks now assessed in M&A processes. Do you know how to collaborate as an EHS leader?
M.Ouellet, Chief Innovation & Product Officer
…With ESG now a day-to-day focus for management and directors across industries, companies would be well-served to undertake a thoughtful assessment of ESG risks when evaluating potential targets in M&A activities. The following article was written by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP partners Helene Banks and Brockton Bosson and associate Jennifer Potts . Corporate focus on environmental, social and governance issues, largely driven by investor, customer, and other stakeholder demand, has been growing over the past decade, and, if the past year is any indication, this focus shows no sign of slowing down. In March 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the creation of a Climate and ESG Task Force within the Division of Enforcement and is currently analyzing public comments [1] on whether current
…Different manufacturing companies might have different goals – the most crucial ones must work in tandem. Some of these goals are selling more products, reducing manufacturing costs, improving production efficiency, increasing profits, and reducing production disruptions. Out of these, improving efficiency can help achieve the other goals – it cuts unnecessary costs, boosts, throughput, and increase profits as well as productivity. That being said, let’s take a look at 5 tips that can help organizations improve manufacturing efficiency. Inspecting Current Workflow for Issues Unsurprisingly, this is one of the first steps organizations must take to improve manufacturing efficiency. It’s quite simple – without evaluating the current workflow utilized in plants and facilities, organizations won’t be able to detect room for improvement. They must inspect every aspect of the workflow such as the throughput, capacity utilization, frequently malfunctioning assets, level of worker efficiency, collaboration levels, and so on. Inspecting the […]