KTL will be a featured presenter and exhibitor at the 2026 Chicagoland Safety, Health & Environmental Conference in Naperville, Illinois, September 14-16, 2026. The Conference provides timely and relevant environmental management, safety, health, professional development and OSHA/EPA compliance training to EHS professionals, business owners, facility managers, plant managers, supervisors, safety committee members, human resources managers, municipalities, and others who have safety, health, and environmental management and compliance responsibilities.

KTL Sessions

Session T05: The Big Secret: You Already Have the EHS Software You | Tuesday, September 15, 8:30-10:30 am CT
Building an EHS compliance management system doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive—not when most companies already have the software they need. Learn how to build data management tools to collect, track, and report EHS compliance information using the latest Microsoft 365 and Power Platform apps. This session will walk through key features and functionality of an EHS compliance management system, discuss the importance of a plan-do-check-act development approach, and provide tips to ensure successful development and implementation. See working examples and hear directly from EHS and IT experts on how to leverage familiar Microsoft tools to cost-effectively elevate EHS processes and management systems and drive ongoing compliance.

Session W18: Framework for Creating a Best-in-Class Safety Culture | Wednesday, September 16, 1:15-2:45 pm CT
High-profile incidents in industries from energy to manufacturing demonstrate that safety compliance alone is not enough—organizational culture determines whether safety systems thrive or fail. Consistent with OSHA’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs and ISO 45001, this session outlines a practical framework for building a best-in-class safety culture focused on ten key attributes: leadership, values, goals and initiatives, organization and structure, employee engagement, resource allocation, systems and standards, metrics and reporting, continual learning, and verification and auditing. This presentation will help professionals create a Safety Culture Action Plan that moves the organization beyond short-term initiatives toward sustainable cultural excellence through proven implementation techniques. Participants will gain actionable insights to strengthen their own safety cultures, improve safety outcomes, reduce incidents, and create organizational resilience.

Stop by KTL’s booth to talk more about your safety, health, and environmental needs. We look forward to connecting with you in Naperville!

KTL is joining Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Green Tier Program for a webinar on the recent changes to ISO 14001 and its implications for your environmental management system (EMS) on Tuesday, August 25 from 12:00-1:00 PM. Click here to register!

This webinar will focus on updates to the ISO 14001 standard, including:

• How to maintain conformance through your EMS.
• Expanded review of environmental conditions that impact or are impacted by your organization.
• Greater emphasis on lifecycle perspective when identifying aspects.
• New clause on managing change.
• Broader role for leadership.
• Updates to managing third-party provided processes and services.
• Alignment with Green Tier Functionally Equivalent EMS elements.

Guest speakers will include Green Tier auditors and DNR staff, who will share how the updates align with Green Tier’s Functionally Equivalent EMS and ‘superior environmental performance’ outcomes defined in law. Expert panelists include:

• April Greene, CSP, CHMM, KTL
• Douglas B. Johnson, Ph.D., KeenWorks LLC
• Kevin Lehner, Environmental Compliance Systems, Inc
• John Senter, The SenterStone Companies
• Jenni Birkholz, Green Tier Project Coordinator, WI DNR
• Weston Wegener, Green Tier Project Coordinator, WI DNR

KTL will be attending at the 2026 College & University Hazardous Materials Management Conference (CUHMMC) at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities August 9-12, 2026. CUHMMC is the premier higher education hazmat conference, bringing together the EHS leaders from across higher education to discuss the challenges faced in an academic environment and solutions and best practices that have been implemented at peer institutions.

KTL will be co-presenting with Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) on Using Microsoft SharePoint and the Power Platform for Hazardous Materials Management. This presentation will discuss how educational facilities can use Microsoft SharePoint and the Power Platform to develop hazardous materials data management tools. We will provide an overview of how the Microsoft platform can be used to address university-specific needs and will demonstrate tools such as a chemical inventory app, waste determination register, waste pick-up workflow, and a training management system.

We look forward to connecting with you in Minneapolis!

Functionality: What does it do?

Certification standards help assure customers, suppliers, regulators, and stakeholders that an organization’s products, services, and management systems meet recognized best practices. These standards are not static. Requirements continue to evolve as certification bodies respond to new risks, regulatory expectations, sustainability priorities, technology changes, and global benchmarking requirements. These updates can quickly create gaps if requirements are tracked manually or inconsistently, especially for companies certified to more than one overlapping scheme.

Recent and upcoming updates to SQF, FSSC 22000, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, and other ISO-based management system standards make it increasingly important for organizations to maintain a structured, current view of the requirements that apply to them. KTL’s electronic standards register organizes certification requirements into an online tool, allowing teams to track applicable clauses, map supporting documents, assign responsibilities, and monitor version changes across multiple standards.

Benefits: Why do you need it?

KTL’s electronic standards register is more than a document management tool. It provides the framework for monitoring change, assigning ownership, documenting implementation, and demonstrating that the organization has evaluated and responded to new or revised requirements in a timely, controlled manner. This is especially valuable during standards transitions to ensure the organization is complying with the most recent version.

An electronic standards register:

• Maps the organization’s documents to specific certification standard requirements.
• Identifies common requirements and allows documentation to be linked between standards, as needed.
• Maintains version control by tracking the current standard, upcoming revisions, transition deadlines, and changes that may affect procedures, records, training, and audit evidence.
• Supports proactive gap assessments when standards are revised, helping teams identify where policies, programs, forms, and responsibilities need to be updated before certification audits.
• Reduces the risk of missed updates when an organization manages multiple certification schemes, sites, departments, or document owners.
• Helps the internal audit team to complete and keep notes for the internal audit.
• Supports management review, internal audit planning, corrective action tracking, and communication across functions.

Technology Used

• Power Apps
• SharePoint

KTL will be exhibiting at the American Correctional Association’s 156th Congress of Correction in Pittsburgh, PA, July 30 – August 2, 2026. The Congress features a wide array of workshops and sessions focused on cutting-edge topics for correctional facilities. The educational workshops feature the best in the business, passing on critical knowledge and engaging in important discussions, while the expansive exhibit allows attendees to interact with hundreds of companies serving the correctional industry.

Be sure to stop by and visit KTL at Booth #1106. We’ll be sharing more about our EHS, food safety, and Microsoft 365 information management solutions. We look forward to connecting with you in Pittsburgh!

Microplastics have been found in every ecosystem on the planet—in food, beverages, and human and animal tissue. While scientists still do not fully understand the impacts of microplastics on human health and aquatic life, federal attention to microplastics is increasing.

EPA and HHS: A Coordinated National Strategy

In April 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made a joint announcement describing microplastics contamination as “one of the most urgent and growing public health challenges facing Americans.” The release announced major actions to study microplastics in drinking water and the human body, as described below. Together, these developments point to closer scrutiny, better testing methods, and possible future regulatory action affecting food companies, manufacturers, and other industrial sectors.

Historic Recognition as a Priority Contaminant. For the first time, EPA has included microplastics as a priority contaminant group in its Draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6). The CCL is published every five years and contains a list of substances designated by EPA as potentially warranting future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). CCL 6 identifies contaminants not yet regulated but known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. The draft list includes four chemical groups, including microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, and disinfection byproducts; nine microbes; and 75 chemicals.

The inclusion of microplastics in CCL 6 is historic. It signals that microplastics are no longer viewed solely as an environmental pollutant but as a potential human health threat requiring scientific scrutiny, regulatory planning, and industry accountability.

Systematic Targeting Of MicroPlastics (STOMP) Program. As part of the coordinated national strategy to address microplastics, HHS’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has launched the STOMP program. This $144 million national initiative is intended to measure, map, and remove microplastics and nanoplastics from the human body.

The STOMP program is the first federal effort aimed not just at environmental monitoring but also at understanding microplastics inside human tissues. Researchers have already detected microplastics in lungs, arterial plaques, and even the brain, yet measurement methods remain inconsistent, making it difficult to assess risk or design interventions. STOMP aims to change that by:

• Identifying which microplastics are most harmful and how they move through the body.
• Developing gold-standard detection technologies for microplastics in water and human tissue.
• Creating safe, scalable removal methods, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and high-exposure workers.

Focus on Food Safety

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to work on improving how microplastics and nanoplastics are detected and assessed in food. FDA has included microplastics as a priority deliverable under its Human Foods Program chemical food safety focus area, indicating that planned actions include research to improve the agency’s ability to accurately detect, quantify, and characterize microplastics in human food.

In light of this, food and beverage manufacturing, processing, and packaging companies should anticipate increased scrutiny of microplastic contamination across the food chain. Key implications include the following:

• Water used in food processing may face new regulatory limits for microplastics, requiring upgraded filtration or monitoring systems.
• Packaging materials, especially plastics that degrade into micro- and nanoplastics, may be reevaluated for shedding risk.
• Seafood, salt, bottled beverages, and processed foods that already known to contain microplastics may become targets for new testing requirements.
• Hazard analysis frameworks (e.g., Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)) may need to incorporate microplastics as an emerging contaminant category.

Implications for Industry

Manufacturers in every industry, but particularly those using plastics, solvents, or high-shear processes, should prepare for the following:

1. New Monitoring and Reporting Requirements. EPA’s CCL 6 designation signals that microplastics may become regulated contaminants. Industries that discharge wastewater or rely on plastic-intensive processes may face:
   • Mandatory microplastic monitoring.
   • Stricter discharge permits.
   • Requirements for new filtration or capture technologies.
2. Supply Chain and Material Redesign. As STOMP identifies the most harmful microplastics, regulators may target specific polymers or additives. Companies may need to:
   • Shift to alternative materials.
   • Redesign products to minimize shedding.
   • Improve durability to reduce particle generation.
3. Increased Need for Environmental Services. To meet potential regulatory changes, many companies may need to implement advanced environment solutions, including:
   • Microplastic sampling and analysis.
   • Remediation technologies.
   • Regulatory compliance strategies.
4. Worker Safety Considerations. Microplastics have been detected in human lungs and arterial plaques. Industrial environments with airborne plastic dust may face:
   • Updated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance.
   • New personal protective equipment (PPE) or ventilation requirements.
   • Exposure monitoring programs.

Proactively Adapting

Microplastics are likely to remain a growing focus for federal research and possible future regulation. As EPA, HHS, and FDA continue developing the science, companies should expect stronger scrutiny, better detection methods, and increasing pressure to understand where microplastics may enter operations, products, and supply chains. Organizations that proactively adapt by assessing potential exposure points, improving filtration, redesigning materials, and monitoring microplastic exposure will be better positioned if (or when) monitoring expectations, customer demands, or regulatory requirements expand.

ISO 14001 is the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). It serves as a management tool for voluntary use by organizations to help improve environmental performance and minimize environmental risks following a plan-do-check-act (PDCA) approach. ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 by the International Standard for Organization. It has since been updated with revised versions in 2004 and 2015. The recent ISO 14001:2026 revision—published in April 2026—marks the first major update to the ISO 14001 standard since 2015.

Impetus for Change

The global sustainability landscape has shifted significantly since ISO 14001:2015 was published, prompting the 2026 updates. Organizations face more stringent regulatory requirements; greater supply chain scrutiny; and heightened demand for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transparency and accountability. The ISO 14001:2026 updates refine, strengthen, and modernize EMS requirements to align the standard with growing environmental and sustainability pressures and increasing stakeholder expectations.

In addition, ISO 14001:2026 implements the Harmonized Structure (Annex SL) to align with other ISO management system standards. This standard structure allows for easier integration between management systems and improved efficiencies due to familiar terminology and sections. The standard also now includes at what point in the PDCA cycle each clause lands. While this isn’t new for ISO, it is new for ISO 14001:2026.

Major Clause‑Level Changes

The ISO 14001:2026 revision incorporates changes to enhance climate awareness, lifecycle responsibility, supplier oversight, and leadership accountability. The table below outlines the major clause-level changes in the revised standard.

In addition to the major clause changes outlined above, the updated standard:

• Encourages the use of digital tools and data analytics to improve environmental performance and evidence‑based decision‑making.
• Introduces clearer, more accessible wording, as well as improved examples and explanations in Annex A.
• Embeds stronger expectations for integrity, transparency, and environmental governance at the leadership level.­

Transition Timeline: How to Prepare

Organizations will have a three‑year transition period to switch to the new standard. Taking the time to adapt and integrate the new provisions into their operations now will help ensure certification when the transition period is over:

• Get informed! Start reading up on ISO 14001:2026 to get familiar with how the new standard is structured and how the clause changes impact your organization.
• Conduct a gap assessment to identify gaps in your existing EMS that will need to be addressed to meet new requirements. If you don’t have an existing EMS, review the requirements and determine what pieces you may already have in place to pursue certification.
• Develop an implementation plan that integrates leadership accountability, new change management processes, expanded documentation expectations, and more rigorous climate and biodiversity integration. There is a three-year transition period. Plan according to this timeline.
• Provide training. It is vital to ensure that workers and management are engaged in the EMS and that they are competent in any new skills/responsibilities that may be required.
• Put your plan into action. Update/develop your EMS to meet the ISO 14001:2026 requirements and provide verification of its effectiveness to help ensure certification when the three-year transition period is over.

If you are in the Rockford area, you won’t want to miss KTL at the REMS Summit 2026, held at the NIU Rockford Campus on February 5, 2026. The REMS Summit offers Rockford-area leaders in manufacturing keynote sessions on legislative updates and strategic priorities, as well as interactive breakout sessions covering workforce development, automation/AI, supply chain strategy, HR modernization, Lean leadership, and environmental, health & safety compliance.

KTL’s April Greene, CSP, CHMM, will be presenting a breakout session on Environmental, Health & Safety: What You Need to Know. This session will:

• Provide an overview of applicable federal, state, and local occupational safety and environmental regulatory requirements.
• Explain what is required to comply with federal, state, and local environmental and occupational safety regulations (i.e., your obligations as an employer).
• Identify common compliance pitfalls and gaps in existing operations, processes, and practices.
• Outline best practices for developing practical systems to manage risk and stay compliant.

As we move into 2026, the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) landscape is entering a period of heightened complexity and contradiction. Significant federal budget cuts and deregulation are reducing oversight from agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), while state enforcement, investor expectations, global regulations, and public scrutiny continue to intensify. At the same time, emerging risks and opportunities (e.g., PFAS, water scarcity, AI-driven systems, data center projects) are reshaping how organizations must think about compliance, risk, and resilience. Here’s what KTL currently has on our radar for 2026.

EPA Budget Cuts

The EPA’s FY2026 budget is a 54% reduction from the FY2025 budget and its lowest in approximately 50 years. Not unexpectedly, this lack of funding is sharply reducing EPA’s planned enforcement capacity in 2026 across all major statutes, focusing enforcement efforts on “clear and substantial violations.” Major funding cuts include criminal enforcement (- 49%), civil enforcement (- 30%), compliance monitoring and inspections (- 35%), and Environmental Justice (EJ) enforcement (100% eliminated).

Despite federal inspections and enforcement sharply declining in 2026, organizations remain fully liable under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, TSCA, EPCRA, and CERCLA, and major incidents will draw intense scrutiny. While it may be tempting to let internal environmental programs and systems slide due to less federal oversight, dismantling internal EHS and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) systems may create higher long‑term risks, particularly as many states expand enforcement to fill the federal gap.

Tip: Treat proactive environmental management as an asset protection tool, not a regulatory cost. Preserve internal audit, monitoring, and corrective action programs; keep permit tracking, compliance calendars, and incident response processes intact; and maintain clear records and documents.

EPA Deregulation

Consistent with its budget cuts, the EPA has significant deregulation planned for 2026 focused largely on rolling back key climate‑related rules, including Vehicle Emission Rules and the Clean Power Plan 2.0, which regulates fossil fuel-fired power plants. In addition, the following rules are all on the proverbial chopping block:

Federal Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting

The EPA is proposing to largely end mandatory federal GHG reporting beginning in 2026. If finalized as proposed, most industries would no longer be required to report GHG emissions under the GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP), and oil and gas industry reporting under Subpart W would be paused until 2034, with limited exceptions. Though federal reporting may disappear (unless tied to a clear statutory mandate), many state programs still rely on GHGRP‑style data; SEC, investor, and customer pressure for emissions disclosure is expected to continue; and lenders and insurers continue requiring verified emissions data.

Tip: Organizations that stop internal tracking may increase long‑term risk, particularly if future administrations reinstate reporting. Maintain internal GHG inventories and related transparency processes, and archive methodologies so reporting can restart without rebuilding systems.

Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule

Although the EPA has not yet issued a final rule, the Agency is reconsidering the Risk Management Program (RMP) requirements related to cross-agency coordination in the chemical transportation industry. This may include narrowing coordination requirements to onsite emergencies only, no longer requiring facilities to report accidents occurring off site during transport, eliminating mandatory sharing of RMP data with transportation regulators, and removing implied responsibility for transporter training verification, carrier safety management practices, and emergency preparedness beyond the facility.

Core RMP applicability remains and onsite transfer operations (loading/unloading) will still fall under RMP. Importantly, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) emergency planning obligations remain unchanged, state RMP programs are unaffected, and related OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) and Department of Transportation (DOT) HazMat rules still apply independently.

Tip: Refine your chemical transportation risk management approach, as necessary, by remapping regulatory responsibility to the correct agency. Maintain strong DOT, OSHA, EPCRA, and contractual controls; preserve emergency preparedness; and continue sharing site‑specific emergency data with responders. Track state rulemaking, especially if operating across multiple jurisdictions.

OSHA Budget Cuts

The FY 2026 Department of Labor budget reflects reduced funding for OSHA, with cuts affecting staffing and compliance assistance programs, while pushing the agency to streamline enforcement activities rather than expand them. The result is a leaner OSHA that is prioritizing high-impact enforcement for Severe Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) vs. routine inspections and prevention-first support. With reduced OSHA staff who are focused largely on high-profile case work, day‑to‑day guidance from OSHA will become harder to obtain, and there will be less capacity for outreach, training, and informal guidance.

Budget cuts reduce OSHA capacity, but not an organization’s liability. Standards, citation authority, and penalty structures remain intact, and enforcement still applies after incidents. SIFs will require prompt response from companies and appropriate documentation and records.

Tip: Strengthen internal investigations, recordkeeping practices and systems, and incident response readiness. Leverage relationships with third parties to fill in the gaps for safety support, training, and guidance.

OSHA Streamlined Rulemaking

Despite budget pressure, OSHA will continue to work on streamlined rulemaking to promote the following:

Heat Illness Prevention

Heat Stress legislation is anticipated in 2026, which will require employers to develop and implement a formal, written program that explains how heat hazards are identified, controlled, and managed.

Tip: Develop or update a Heat Illness and Injury Prevention Plan (HIIPP) to meet proposed regulatory requirements, including hazard assessments, high exposure tasks/locations, controls, acclimatization procedures, roles and responsibilities, training, incident response, and recordkeeping.

Workplace Violence Prevention

While no federal legislation is anticipated, civil unrest in areas around the country is causing many states to consider creating their own requirements for employers to help prevent workplace violence and protect workers from inside or outside attackers.

Tip: Evaluate your Emergency Action Plan and update it to reflect expectations for workers when dealing with workplace violence incidents. Include leadership commitment, clear policies and procedures, training, and continuous improvement.

Recordkeeping and Transparency

There is talk of more stringent data collection and public availability of that data for incidents. This is currently a big unknown given OSHA’s limited resources; however, there are indications of AI-enabled systems being introduced to support incident reporting, data analysis, and public data availability. 

Tip: Data accuracy matters more than ever, as reporting errors themselves may become enforcement triggers. Implement and maintain systems to accurately collect, manage, and report incident data.

Others to Watch

PFAS “Forever Chemicals”. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remain a focal point, as does the uncertainty surrounding, their regulation. There is currently a patchwork of federal requirements and state-level regulations and product bans in the U.S. The Federal government is on the path to making U.S. rules less stringent, while global restrictions are accelerating. Currently, the reporting period for manufacturers and importers of PFAS under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) will begin on April 13, 2026, with a final deadline for most by October 13, 2026.  The EPA also has a pending rule to designate nine specific PFAS compounds as hazardous constituents under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), requiring corrective action for their release. Federal PFAS legislation is unlikely; however, keep an eye on state regulations and other bills for any provisions associated with PFAS, particularly in industries such as textiles, cleaning products, cosmetics, and cookware. 

Water Use. Water use is becoming a more significant EHS concern, particularly in western states, due to rising demand, increasing scarcity, and the environmental impacts associated with over-extraction (see Data Centers below). Desalinization plants and using non-potable water for industrial use, golf courses, etc. can create potentially very negative environmental impacts on entire ecosystems. Make sure your environmental audits every consider things like energy and water conservation. Monitor state regulations, particularly where scarcity is a concern. Incorporate water conservation into ESG strategies to elevate its importance.

Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is everywhere, and EHS is not excluded. EPA and OSHA staffing shortages are accelerating interest in using AI for automation. And organizations are testing the limits on what AI can—and can’t—do effectively and correctly. The assumption that AI can be used to automate and manage EHS programs is a slippery slope. While AI can be leveraged as a tool for things like data aggregation and draft report development, using AI must be done thoughtfully, as it cannot replace EHS programs and human involvement. In fact, over‑automation without expert oversight can significantly increase error and legal exposure. Use caution exploring where you can use AI for more basic tasks that can be automated, as not all processes lend themselves to AI.

Data Centers. There has been an explosion of growth in data centers. This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources, using agricultural land, creating noise pollution, and raising electricity prices across the country. This is of particular concern in parts of the Midwest, Texas, and Western states. At the federal level, there is currently limited direct regulation specific to data centers. Oversight typically occurs through state water withdrawal permits, air permits for generators, and local zoning and land‑use approvals. It is important to understand how the increase in data centers may impact ESG goals, particularly related to water, power, noise, and land use.

Looking Ahead

Organizations that treat 2026 as a moment to scale back EHS efforts risk being caught unprepared. Reduced federal activity does not equate to reduced liability. In fact, given the uncertainty, proactive, well-integrated EHS programs will be increasingly critical for protecting people, assets, and long-term enterprise value. Now is the time to:

• Reassess regulatory exposure, strengthen internal systems, and ensure EHS programs are resilient, auditable, and aligned with broader business and ESG objectives.
• Implement proactive planning, disciplined data management, and thoughtful use of technology to turn uncertainty into a competitive advantage.
• Leverage partnerships with consulting partners with deep regulatory insight and practical implementation experience to help navigate the evolving regulatory landscape, protect against emerging risks, and position your organization to sustain whatever the next regulatory cycle brings.

KTL will be joining the technical program of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America 46th Annual Meeting November 16-20, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. SETAC is dedicated to advancing environmental science and science-informed decision-making through collaboration, communication, eductaion, and leadership.

KTL Senior Associate Margaret Roy will be presenting Representation of the Homeless in Human Health Risk Assessment on Monday, November 17 at 10:00 am as part of Session 5.08: Beyond Direct Contact: Non-Traditional Exposure Scenarios in Human Health Risk Assessment.

Human Health Risk Assessments (HHRAs) are used to assess contaminant exposure and risk to defined populations, such as residents, commercial workers, and construction workers. HHRAs can also be used to assess risk for the homeless population. This presentation will discuss some of the challenges associated with developing an exposure model to represent the homeless sheltering and living on a contaminated site. For example, interviews with individuals may be necessary to develop an accurate exposure model. The presentation will also discuss the importance of the field sampling crew, from observing field conditions to safety concerns.