CANNABIS ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS

As new enterprises in the cannabis industry finally emerge with their business licenses after achieving all state and commission-level compliance mandates, they are not always aware of the federal implications of opening their businesses in terms of applicable environmental, health, and safety (EHS) regulations that exist. Time and time again, we meet with owners and management that are dumbfounded when OSHA or EPA walks through the door and issues them a citation. Many of these businesses have well-meaning management and are in 100% compliance with all state and local regulations. Reality is: state and federal regulations differ tremendously and cannabis enterprises have just as much exposure, if not more, when it comes to dealing with the feds as compared with the state cannabis commissions. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not that agencies like OSHA and EPA couldn’t apply and enforce existing federal regulations to the emerging cannabis industry - they can and they will - but from a logical standpoint, they wait until an enterprise is open and employing workers before they pursue any action.

Here are just some of the services we offer related to general safety and environmental compliance:

• On-site auditing to evaluate and address the prevailing hazards in the cannabis industry, including: explosives, ergonomics, security, and occupational health risks
• Site security analysis for grow houses, as well as processing and extraction sectors of the business, focused on federal compliance, which is often a higher bar than what the state commission imposes
• Workplace violence and active shooter preparation
• Loss prevention
• Environmental liability for disposal of by-products
• Drug and alcohol programs
• Safety training program establishment and implementation