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In the last month, articles on fatalities at chemical plants, an OSHA letter of interpretation, and the Toxic Substances Control Act have drawn the attention of readers of Synergist publications. Given that SynergistNOW was on a short break earlier this month, this latest installment of “What You’re Reading” focuses on our newsletters and magazine.

Most read in Synergist Newswire:

U.S. Sees Unprecedented Number of Chemical Plant Fatalities in Past Year

As reported by C&EN, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Chair Steve Owens stated at CSB’s June meeting that 36 people had been killed as a result of chemical accidents in the United States over the previous 11 months. According to Owens, the number of fatalities is the highest for any 11-month period investigated by the Board.  

Owens attributed the rise to incidents at six companies, C&EN stated. One of the incidents was the July 2025 explosion at a biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, which killed a 32-year-old employee and his two young daughters. CSB later stated that preliminary evidence suggests that combustible dust was to blame. Other incidents that occurred between July 2025 and June 2026 include the explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant that killed two workers, the explosion at a Tennessee manufacturing facility that killed 16 people, and the hydrogen gas leak that killed two workers at a refinery in West Virginia.

C&EN noted that EPA has proposed changes to its risk management program (RMP) rule, which requires facilities that use hazardous substances to identify the potential effects of a chemical accident and steps the facility will take to prevent it. Facilities are also required to explain procedures related to emergency response in case an accident occurs. EPA’s proposed changes would either rescind or modify several provisions related to third-party audits of chemical facilities, notification of emergency responders, evaluation of the hazards presented by a loss of power, and other RMP requirements that EPA finalized in 2024.

Most read in the Synergist Weekly:

OSHA Clarifies Application of Asbestos Standard to Repair of Flood-Damaged Wallboard

In a letter of interpretation dated May 7, 2026, OSHA responded to a contractor who, via an April 2025 email, had asked the agency to explain how its asbestos standard applies to “aggressive sanding” of joint compound containing more than 1 percent asbestos. OSHA’s letter states that the work described by the contractor would be considered either Class II or Class III under the standard. Class III work requires worker training and the involvement of a “competent person” as explained in the standard.

Most read in the digital Synergist:

Connecting the OEHS Community Through TSCA

In the latest of a series of articles on the implications of the Toxic Substances Control Act for OEHS professionals, Pam Dopart, PhD, CIH, explains how AIHA’s TSCA Advisory Group is communicating with EPA regarding risk management strategies and best practices for chemical exposure and risk assessment. The group also helps OEHS professionals anticipate the implications of EPA’s decisions, including the agency’s existing chemical exposure limits (ECELs), which, in some cases, are orders of magnitude lower than other occupational exposure limits. Measuring chemicals at these levels may require OEHS professionals to work with laboratories to modify sampling and analytical methods.  

Dopart’s article is available to AIHA members in the June/July issue of The Synergist. Previous articles in the series include “Bridging Expertise: AIHA’s Response to TSCA’s Evolving Role in Occupational Health and Safety” and “TSCA in Transition: Litigation, Policy Changes, and Congressional Pressure in 2026.” Nonmembers can access a public version of “TSCA in Transition” for a limited time.

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