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FRA Determines Track Maintenance Failures Caused Columbia River Gorge Derailment

FRA's preliminary investigation determined the derailment was caused by broken lag bolts leading to a wide track gauge. Investigators found multiple lag bolts in the track section were broken and sheared, leading to tie plates loosening from ties and allowing the rails to be pushed outwards as trains moved across them.

The container vessel COSCO Shipping Panama sets sail June 11 from the Greek Port of Piraeus to make the first transit of the Expanded Panama Canal on June 26, 2016. (Canal de Panama photo)

Panama Finally Opens Expanded Canal

Called a "risky bet" by The New York Times because of questions about the design and whether enough steel and concrete are in its new locks, it is a colossal bet by the country of Panama. The COSCO Shipping Panama, a Chinese container ship, made the first transit of the new canal June 26.

WorkSafeBC Planning Safety Committee Changes

The proposed changes were developed following two fatal explosions in early 2012 at sawmills in the province.

CDC Confirms Higher Blood Lead Levels in Flint Children

CDC continues to recommend that all children under age 6 living in the city of Flint have their blood tested for lead by a health care provider, particularly if they have not had a blood lead test since October 2015.

NSC Says 28 States Fail to Protect Residents from Opioid Crisis

A new report says only four states are making notable progress.

Tennessee Truck Driver Considered an Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

The driver, Randall Weddle, was served a federal order on June 22.

Toxic Chemicals Series, Metro Fire Story Honored in Journalism Awards Contest

The 2016 National Press Club Journalism Contest also awarded the Consumer Journalism, newspapers, award to the Associated Press for its stories about the fishing industry in Southeast Asia’s use of slave laborers.

Columbus Wins Smart City Challenge

Columbus plans to deploy three electric self-driving shuttles to link a new bus rapid transit center to a retail district and use data analytics to improve health care access in a neighborhood where the infant mortality rate quadruples the national average.



U.S. Supreme Court Limits Drunk Driving Test Laws

Police must obtain a search warrant before requiring drivers to submit to blood tests, the court ruled June 23.

HHS Appoints Nine to Health IT Advisory Panels

The Health Information Technology Standards Committee and one new member to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee allow stakeholders and the public to provide direct input to HHS on the implementation and use of health IT.

Two parts of the ISO 16140 series have now been published. (ISO photo)

ISO Updates Standard on Validating Microorganism Testing in Food

The ISO 16140-1:2016 standard for the validation of alternative (proprietary) microbiological methods provides a specific protocol and guidelines.

VW to Pay Roughly $10.2 Billion to Settle Emissions Claims

A source briefed the Associated Press, saying the money would go mainly to compensate 482,000 owners.

AMA Adopts Guidance on Selecting LED Lighting to Minimize Human Effects

The Annual Meeting of the AMA adopted guidance for selecting LED options to minimize potential risk.

IMF Chief Backs Paid Family Leave for United States

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said policies needed to counter declining productivity and labor force participation, as well as income inequality and almost 15 percent of Americans living in poverty, include a higher federal minimum wage, more generous earned income tax credit, and upgraded social programs for the non-working poor.

Community Risk Reduction is defined in NFPA 1035 as "programs, actions, and services used by a community, which prevent or mitigate the loss of life, property, and resources associated with life safety, fire, and other disasters within a community."

NFPA White Paper Aids in Establishing Community Risk Reduction Programs

The association's Urban Fire and Life Safety Task Force released the white paper last week.

Plastics Company Doesn't Fix Fall Hazard, Now Owes $87K

MVP Plastics out of New York has been cited by OSHA for a repeat violation.

Bakery Cited By OSHA After Employee Injures Arm in Conveyor Belt

Wegmans Food Market faces $140K in fines.

The June 2016 report concludes military and civilian trauma systems are inextricably linked and will be optimized together, or not at all.

National Academies' Report Urges Integrating Military, Civilian Trauma Care

The report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggests this integration should be headed by the White House and is needed to reach the national goal of zero preventable deaths after injury.

PG&E Agrees to Shut Down Diablo Canyon

The Joint Proposal would replace power produced by two nuclear reactors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant with a cost-effective, greenhouse gas free portfolio of energy efficiency, renewables and energy storage, according to the utility, which has committed to a 55 percent renewable energy target in 2031.

DOT Finalizes Drone Regulations

FAA said that, according to industry estimates, the rule could generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. economy and create more than 100,000 new jobs during the next 10 years. The new rule takes effect in late August.

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