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USGS Says Alaska a Hot Spot for Avian Influenza to Enter North America

While no highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been found in Alaska, the state is an important area to monitor because of migratory bird flyways from North America and Eurasia that overlap it.

Utility District Cited in Arc Flash Explosion at Hydroelectric Dam

L&I cited the utility district for five serious violations and for each assessed the maximum penalty of $7,000.

Fall Hazards Cited Again Against NJ Contractor

The inspections involved in the new case took place at four sites in Middletown, Del., and Limerick and Perkasie, Pa. Berlin Builders is based in Cinaminson, N.J., according to OSHA, which has cited it for two willful, nine repeat, eight serious, and one other-than-serious violations.

"The progress we made in 2015 is good news for miners and the mining industry. It is the result of intensive efforts by MSHA and its stakeholders that have led to mine site compliance improvements, a reduction of chronic violators, historic low levels of respirable coal dust and silica, and a record low number of mining deaths," said Assistant Secretary Joseph A. Main.

2015 Safest Year Yet for U.S. Mining

Preliminary data released by the Mine Safety and Health Administration confirm that 2015 was the safest year in U.S. mining history, both in the number of deaths and mining's fatal and injury rates.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the mosquitoes that alos spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Administration Designates Emergency Zika Funding

The Obama administration has identified $589 million in funding that will go toward Zika preparedness and response -- mosquito control, lab capacity, developing diagnostics and vaccines, supporting affected expectant mothers and babies, and tracking the spread and effects of Zika infections in humans in the United States, Puerto Rico, other U.S. territories, and abroad.

Texas DPS Hosts Annual Emergency Management Conference

"As a large and geographically diverse state, Texas faces the full gamut of public safety threats, including severe weather and natural or manmade disasters, and preparedness is our number-one defense against such emergencies," said Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw.

ISEA's QSSP Recognizes 1500th Graduate

ISEA President Dan Shipp said the demand for QSSP classes is higher than ever.

This memorial wall was erected to honor the 29 miners who died in the Upper Big Branch Mine South explosion on April 5, 2010. (MSHA photo)

Don Blankenship Sentenced to Prison Term

The former CEO of Massey Energy, a subsidiary of which owned the Upper Big Branch South mine when a methane explosion killed 29 miners on April 5, 2010, was sentenced April 6 to a year in federal prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.



WIPP Installs Underground Personnel Notification and Tracking System

"I'm incredibly proud of this accomplishment," said Phil Breidenbach, Nuclear Waste Partnership president and project manager. "We have done many things to improve safety in the WIPP underground, but none are more important or impactful than this system."

PHMSA Releases Rail Incident Response Tool

DOT developed these resources to offer a flexible approach to training responders to prepare for rail incidents involving flammable liquids; the materials offer information on best practices related to rail incidents involving Class 3 flammable liquids, such as crude oil and ethanol.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a term for progressive lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and in some cases asthma. It affects an estimated 24 million Americans, according to the COPD Foundation. CDC reported COPD was the third-leading cause of death in the United States in 2011.

Task Force Recommends Against COPD Screening of Asymptomatic Adults

Exposure to cigarette smoke or toxic fumes increases the risk for COPD. Epidemiological studies have found that 15-50 percent of smokers develop COPD, while occupational exposures to toxins, dusts, and industrial chemicals causes an estimated 15 percent of all COPD cases.

FDA Rule to Ensure Food Safety During Transport

The rule will require those involved in transporting human and animal food by motor vehicle or rail to follow recognized best practices for sanitary transportation, such as properly refrigerating food and adequately cleaning vehicles between loads.

Toyota Connected, Inc. Debuts, Building on Automaker's Microsoft Partnership

"Toyota is taking a bold step creating a company dedicated to bringing cloud intelligence into the driving experience," said Kurt DelBene, executive vice president of Corporate Strategy and Planning at Microsoft. "We look forward to working with Toyota Connected to harness the power of data to make driving more personal, intuitive, and safe."

Judge Issues Final Order in BP Case

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's April 4 order confirms the company's $18.7 billion settlement of federal and state claims announced last July.

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Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute Announced

The institute's participants will integrate fibers and yarns with integrated circuits, LEDs, solar cells, and other devices and advanced materials to create textiles and fabrics that can sense, communicate, store energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, change color, etc.

Blue Bell Says Listeria Likely Spread Via Plant Drainage

The company also said it couldn't identify a single source of Listeria bacteria that contaminated equipment.

Panama Canal Opens Scale-Model Training Facility

The training facility fills 35.3 acres and features two lakes connected by a channel modeled after the canal's Culebra Cut. It has docking bays, replicas of the new and existing locks, and gates, all at a 1:25 scale, and is equipped with scale-model tugboats and ships.

Anhydrous Ammonia Release Lands Candy Company in SVEP

Russell Stover Candies Inc. faces $193,600 in penalties and has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program because of process safety management violations involved in an anhydrous ammonia release at its Iola, Kansas, plant on Sept. 23, 2015.

Rx Drug Abuse Summit Maps Solutions for 'Community Problem'

Dr. Patrice Harris, chair-elect of the American Medical Association and chair of its Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse, said progress is being made: From 2014 to 2015, opioid prescriptions decreased 6.8 percent nationally, following a 2.9 percent decline the year before.

Annually in the United States, more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the country, according to the American Lung Association.

Partnership Aims to Reduce Smoking Rates in Nine States

The American Lung Association announced it is partnering with the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., to help smokers in nine states -- Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Nevada -- quit smoking.

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