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Positive Train Control Implementation Data Shows Uneven Progress

Positive Train Control Implementation Data Shows Uneven Progress: FRA

Third quarter 2016 data showed freight railroads now have PTC active on 12 percent of tracks, an increase from 9 percent last quarter. Passenger railroads increased by one percentage point to 23 percent, with progress seen mostly on the West Coast.

EPA Identifies First 10 Chemicals for Evaluation

When the list is published in the Federal Register, that will trigger a statutory deadline to complete risk evaluations for the chemicals within three years. The evaluation will determine whether the chemicals present an unreasonable risk to humans and the environment.

Cal/OSHA Cites Solar Panel Installer After Fall

The fall occurred on June 13 and "there was no evidence of fall protection at the site, despite the hazards presented by more than 140 skylights in the roof of the building, a rooftop access hatch, and the unguarded edges of the roof," according to the agency.

Grants to Boost Work Zones' and Motorists' Safety, Arizona DOT Says

The agency said one grant assists a work zone notification system that will use emerging vehicle communication technologies to alert commercial drivers that they are approaching construction or incidents on freeways and about variable speed limits, traffic congestion, and lane closures.

Image courtesy of AP and Luis Benavides

More Than 70 Dead After Brazilian Soccer Team's Plane Crashes

An early report indicates authorities say the plane crashed as a result of an electrical failure.

The November 2016 letter says first responders "are particularly concerned about the health effects posed by the continued use" of certain flame retardant chemicals in consumer products.

Vermont Congressmen Seeks EPA Review of Three Flame Retardant Classes

EPA must select the first 10 "Work Plan" chemicals for this risk assessment by the end of 2016, and it has planned to publish the list in mid-December.

OSHA Pledges to Protect Wilkes-Barre Area Retail Store Workers

As the holiday season starts, the agency wants to help keep workers safe.

SafeWork NSW Releases Alert on Tower Crane Work

The alert states that erection/climbing/dismantling of tower cranes is a potentially hazardous process involving work at heights, awkward postures, lifting and aligning components of significant size and mass, and installing temporary support systems, all of which often are done under significant time pressure due to the need for road closures, suitable daylight hours, or short weather windows.



Masonry Contractor Fined $345K for Exposing Workers to Scaffolding Hazards

The company, a severe violator, has been cited 41 times since 2011.

Researchers Document Zika-Related Microcephaly Onset After Birth

Their report was published Nov. 22 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, describing 13 infants in Brazil with congenital Zika virus infection who did not have microcephaly at birth but later experienced slowed head growth.

DOT Getting Ready for 2017 National Traffic Incident Response Week

During the next year, FHWA, first responders, and other partners are preparing with an eye on the inaugural National Traffic Incident Response Week, preparing motorists and local public safety professionals to take safe actions and prevent responder, driver, or passenger deaths.

Typically the fire department arrives anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes from the time of the 911 call. It is important to have accounted for all employees, visitors, and contractors.

Oregon OSHA Provides Forester, Fire, and Construction Training Grants

The City of Bend Fire Department is getting a $30,710 grant to launch a training project designed to reduce injuries and claims costs among firefighters by improving the efficiency of their physical movements and their flexibility and core strength.

2016 Baldrige Award Winners Announced

"This year's honorees are trailblazers in innovation, small business, health care, and sustainable textiles. Their visionary leadership is helping to power the economy and increase our ability to compete globally," Pritzker said. "The Commerce Department proudly supports these four outstanding organizations for their unwavering commitment to performance excellence and their dedication to always reaching higher."

CDC Researchers Call Attention to Unintentional Injury Deaths

"Fewer Americans are dying young from preventable causes of death," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden, M.D., MPH. "Tragically, deaths from overdose are increasing because of the opioid epidemic, and there are still large differences between states in all preventable causes of death, indicating that many more lives can be saved through use of prevention and treatment available today."

Finger Amputation Brings $74,826 Penalty

The inspection began May 16, 2016, after a complaint that an amputation injury early this year at the window manufacturer's Dalton, Pa., facility was not reported to OSHA. The inspection also was done as part of OSHA's national emphasis program on amputations.

About the same number of NYPD officers will be watching this year

NYPD Reponds to Thanksgiving Parade Threat

The department is boosting security at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade after a threat by ISIS.

CDC Reports Improvement in Childhood Obesity for Children Enrolled in WIC

CDC and USDA Report Improvement in Childhood Obesity for Children Enrolled in WIC

According to the agencies, 34 state agencies have reported decreases.

Trench Collapse Deaths Increasing Sharply This Year

"Trench deaths have more than doubled nationwide since last year - an alarming and unacceptable trend that must be halted," said Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "There is no excuse. These fatalities are completely preventable by complying with OSHA standards that every construction contractor should know."

More than 46 million turkeys were cooked and eaten for Thanksgiving 2015, USDA estimates.

Think Food Safety This Thanksgiving: USDA

Do not wash the turkey because that will spread pathogens onto kitchen surfaces. (The only way to kill bacteria that causes foodborne illness is to fully cook the turkey.)

BSEE Releases Final Pipeline Decommissioning Costs Reporting Rule

The rule will amend the existing BSEE regulations.

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