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ConocoPhillips Fined $4.3 Million for Offshore Rig Gas Releases

"There was a failure to identify the risk posed by the high-pressure vent systems when carrying out intrusive maintenance work. ConocoPhillips failed to put in place appropriate process isolations to isolate the high-pressure vent from the work site," said HSE Inspector John Hawkins. "It is only a matter of good fortune these incidents didn't result in a serious, tragic incident."

Changes Proposed on Confidentiality of Substance Disorder Records

"This proposal will help patients with substance use disorders fully participate and benefit from a health care delivery system that’s better, smarter, and healthier while protecting their privacy," HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said. "We are moving Medicare, and the health care system as a whole, toward new integrated care models that incentivize providers to coordinate and put the patient at the center of their care, and we are modernizing our rules to protect patients."

An engineer checked for damage done to the Washington Monument, a 555-foot obelisk located on the national mall in Washington, D.C., by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 23, 2011. The monument underwent repairs and was reopened May 12, 2014.

Executive Order Covers Earthquake Resilience for Federal Buildings

The president's order followed a "Building for Earthquake Safety" session at the White House Earthquake Resilience Summit.

AZ State Lab Sharing Biosafety Outreach Guidance

The Association of Public Health Laboratories asked the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory to present its biosafety outreach program in a national webinar, which will take place next month.

Twelfth Satellite Completes GPS IIF Array

The first satellite in this series was launched in May 2010. They

DOT Sees Alarming Rise in Roadway Deaths, Opens Regional Summit

"We're seeing red flags across the U.S. and we’re not waiting for the situation to develop further," said Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA's administrator. "It's time to drive behavioral changes in traffic safety, and that means taking on new initiatives and addressing persistent issues like drunk driving and failure to wear seat belts."

Kentucky County Deemed a Safe Community by NSC

Jessamine County, Kentucky, leaders plan to try to end unintentional injuries.

Wholesale adoption of GHS hazard classsification principles will disrupt chemical hazard assessment programs and heighten problems manufacturers and importers will face.

Transform Tox Testing Challenge Under Way

The National Toxicology Program and partner agencies are behind the challenge, which will award $500,000 for ideas that help innovate current toxicity testing methods.



NIOSH Study Shows Scope of Illness Tied to Two Common Herbicides

Although most of the illnesses related to paraquat and diquat were low to moderately severe—health effects commonly included skin, eye, or neurological symptoms—these two herbicides make up 85 percent of herbicide-related deaths in the United States.

Saying Farewell to Clearview Highway Signs

They will not be approved for use on public roads after Feb. 23, but the signs won't have to be removed until they reach the end of their useful life, FHWA Administrator Gregory G. Nadeau reported.

IOSH Wellness Seminar Set for Feb. 24

"Work-related stress is often a hidden problem, as people can be reticent to talk about their issues. In turn, the management chain can often not be as aware as they should be of the stress-related issues that their workforce is facing," IOSH Midland Branch East District Chair Les Pearce said.

Foot Injury Results in Citations

The Pennsylvania company notified OSHA last August that an employee suffered a double toe amputation when he lost control of a lawn mower he was operating on a wet, grassy slope; this happened less than three months after OSHA investigated another rollover incident in which an employee sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized, according to the agency.

FEMA Releases National Planning System Description

The document contains both the Planning Architecture, which describes the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of planning and planning integration, and the Planning Process, which describes the steps necessary to develop a comprehensive plan, from forming a team to implementing the plan.

NTSB concluded this Alaska Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed in March 2013 because the pilot decided to continue flying into deteriorating weather conditions and also stemmed from the department

New Show Spotlights Work of NTSB's Alaska 'Go Team'

NIOSH has reported that, from 1990 through 2009, aviation crashes in Alaska killed 149 pilots, resulting in a very high annual pilot fatality rate of 287 per 100,000 pilots.

DOT Ready to Celebrate 50th Birthday

Six of his predecessors joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Feb. 3 at a ceremony kicking off celebrations of DOT's 50th year. He explained that DOT soon will have a video of the ceremony online and asked readers to visit DOT's 50th Anniversary website, which includes documents about the department's creation.

OSHA and Industrial Truck Association Renew Alliance

The alliance strives to reduce hazards associated with powered industrial trucks.

Worker Severely Injured after 40-Foot Fall from Crane

The injured worker's employer, TimkenSteel, was named a severe violator by OSHA in 2015.

UL Certification Available for Hoverboards

The new UL 2272 provides a framework to evaluate, test, and certify self-balancing scooters, the company announced Feb. 2.

HHS is creating the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee this year as it plans for the 2018 publication of the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Physical Activity Guidelines Committee Nominations Due Feb. 5

An HHS advisory committee is being formed as part of the planning for the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to be released in 2018.

Dallas Health Department Confirms Sexually Transmitted Zika Case

"Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others," said Zachary Thompson, the department's director.

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