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The Fed notes “The drop for utilities resulted from a large decrease in demand for heating, as unseasonably warm weather in December followed unseasonably cold weather in November. For the fourth quarter as a whole, total industrial production moved down at an annual rate of 0.5 percent.” On a more positive note, the Census Bureau...

According to the USTR press release, “China’s imports of U.S. manufactured goods, such as industrial machinery, electrical equipment, pharmaceutical products, aircraft, vehicles, optical and medical instruments, iron and steel, solar-grade polysilicon, hardwood lumber, and chemical products, among other goods, will total at least $120.0 billion in 2020 and at least $131.9 billion in 2021.” Ahead...

Employers who are required to track workplace injuries and illnesses under 29 CFR 1904 must post a paper copy of the 300A Summary from February 1 through April 30. Checking to see that your Summary is posted is one of the first things an OSHA compliance officer will do during an inspection. Missing or covered...

ISRI recently received notice that the Department of Labor has published the annual civil penalty adjustments [Text Version] [PDF Version] for each agency, including OSHA, as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act.  The new penalty levels will apply to penalties assessed after January 15, 2020.  The table below shows the new maximum...

Over 40 states will begin their 2020 legislative sessions by the end of January, and in most of the rest prefiling has already begun. This year will almost certainly see packaging producer responsibility, bans on plastic bags and EPS, and other issues directly impacting plastics recyclers get more traction than in previous sessions. You can...