The start of the New Year is the perfect time to establish your Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) compliance calendar to ensure you’re meeting regulatory requirements throughout the year. Having a compliance calendar is a vital tool for keeping track, in an organized way, of all the EHS requirements and important federal, state, and local deadlines for the upcoming year.
Depending on the complexity of your safety program and size of your organization, a compliance calendar can be established by using a table created in a document file, an electronic spreadsheet, digital calendar, or by using specialized EHS software. In terms of the content, in addition to the deadlines and their required frequency (e.g., quarterly, annual, biennial), it should include the person(s) responsible for completing each task.
Compliance calendars should be customized based on individual EHS program elements and regulatory requirements applicable to your organization. They should include important deadlines that need to be tracked for the year as discussed below.
- Regulatory reporting: Include all applicable federal timelines including for Tier II Reports, Biennial Waste Reports, OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting as well as the associated OSHA Form 300A posting deadline. State and local reporting due dates should also be added; for example, for air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Permit, registration, and license renewals: Incorporate due dates for federal, state, and local renewals such as the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) hazardous materials transportation registration, controlled substances registrations, laboratory registrations, flammable materials permits, biosafety/recombinant DNA permits, and sewer use discharge permits. Specific deadlines for permit requirements should also be added, such as for recurring wastewater sampling and data submission.
- Manual reviews and updates: Add deadlines for those regulations that have annual manual review requirements such as the Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (Lab Standard) [29 CFR 1910.1450] and Bloodborne Pathogens Standard [29 CFR 1910.1030]. An annual review of all safety manuals is considered best practice and should be addressed in the calendar as well.
- Refresher trainings: Capture training deadlines to comply with annual requirements for the OSHA’s Standards on Bloodborne Pathogens [29 CFR 1910.1030], Respiratory Protection [29 CFR 1910.134], and Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) [29 CFR 1910.120]. Training due dates should also be included, as applicable, for regulations that require refresher training when new or different hazards are introduced, employee responsibilities change, or there are other modifications to workplace conditions. These include the Standards on Emergency Action Plans [29 CFR 1910.38], Hazard Communication [29 CFR 1910.1200], and Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories [29 CFR 1910.1450].
- Inventories: Include the date(s) of the scheduled annual chemical inventory. Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) should also be reconciled with the updated chemical inventory, with that due date noted as well. Incorporate other required inventories, such as the biennial controlled substances inventory, as appropriate.
- Internal meetings: Add the scheduled dates for EHS meetings applicable to your organization such as those for the Safety Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
- Equipment testing, certifications, and calibrations: Incorporate important due dates such as annual certifications for biological safety cabinets and fume hoods as well as annual servicing of fire extinguishers. In addition, track the required frequency of routine safety equipment testing such as for safety showers, eyewashes, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Calendars should also include safety-related equipment calibration due dates such as for oxygen sensors and sound level meters, with reminders set well in advance to schedule them accordingly.
- Safety inspections/audits: Whether your internal inspections are monthly, quarterly, or on a different frequency, they should be added to the compliance calendar to ensure that they take place when required. In addition, the calendar can be used to track the scheduling of internal and external EHS program audits.
- Safety activities/initiatives: Safety activities and initiatives planned for the new year can also be added to the compliance calendar. They might include planned participation in OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week and/or activities scheduled to recognize other national EHS events including National Safety Month, Earth Day, Fire Prevention Week, and Biosafety and Biosecurity Month.
By using a compliance calendar, you can stay on top of important EHS deadlines and ensure that your program is proactive and compliant. Make it your New Year’s resolution to stay ahead of deadlines in 2026! We can help with the development of a compliance calendar that is tailored to your organization. For more information, please contact us!
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
