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The two DOT agencies are conducting audits, and PHMSA is making unannounced inspections, to ensure railroads

DOT Agencies Requiring Spill Response Plans for HHFTs

The final rule requires railroads to develop and submit Comprehensive Oil Spill Response Plans for route segments traveled by High Hazard Flammable Trains that are transporting petroleum oil in a block of 20 or more loaded tank cars and also trains that have a total of 35 loaded petroleum oil tank cars.

Ohio BWC Adding $500,000 for Law Enforcement Body Armor

"Body armor is the cheapest life insurance we ever buy, and we know it works and saves lives," Ohio AG Dave Yost said. "I've been to too many law enforcement funerals and hope never to have to attend another. I commend Administrator McCloud and Gov. DeWine for their continuing leadership in this important life-saving investment."

NYC Department of Buildings Sets May Conference Date

This year's build safe│live safe Conference on Friday, May 10, will be a daylong series of seminars in which department experts discuss industry trends and highlight safe construction operations.



New Center Provides Tools for Assessing Disasters

"It really empowers many people in the research community to begin doing the kind of work that they weren't able to do before simply because they didn't have access to these tools," said Joseph Wartman, the facility's director and a professor in UW's civil and environmental engineering department.

Skilled Trades Workers Put 25,000 Hours Into API's New Headquarters

"From API's new headquarters in Washington, D.C. to energy infrastructure projects across the nation, the natural gas and oil industry relies on skilled workers and the building trades unions to keep construction projects - from new buildings to energy infrastructure - safe and on schedule," said API President and CEO Mike Sommers.

OSHA Partnership in Place for Rhode Island Construction Project

The partnership with Dimeo Construction Company seeks to educate workers, control or eliminate serious hazards, and establish effective safety and health programs for the project, which broke ground in June 2018. It is the largest current construction project in Rhode Island.

2018 Third Consecutive Year of at Least 40,000 Motor Vehicle Deaths

The NSC estimates that in 2018, 40,000 people died in car crashes—a 1 percent decline from 40,231 deaths in 2017 and 40,327 deaths in 2016. An estimated 4.5 million people were seriously injured in car crashes in 2018, also a 1 percent decrease from 2017 figures.

Survey Finds 18 Million Trees Died in California During 2018

"It is encouraging that the rate of mortality slowed in 2018. However, 18 million trees are an indication that the forests of California are still under significant stress," said Thom Porter, CAL FIRE's director and California's state forester. "The stress of drought, insects, disease, and prolific wildfire will continue to challenge the resilience of the state's forests."

New Standard Aims to Protect Young People's Hearing

WHO is recommending that governments and manufacturers adopt the voluntary WHO-ITU standard for the manufacture and use of personal audio devices.

Enforcement Guidance Issued for Crane Operator Evaluations

OSHA is enforcing the requirement that employers must evaluate their operators before allowing them to operate cranes independently, but it will offer compliance assistance rather than enforcement until April 15, for employers who have evaluated operators in accordance with the final rule and are making good-faith efforts to comply with the new documentation requirement.

Steel Plant Becomes Kentucky's 13th VPP Star Site

"We congratulate the entire Nucor Steel Gallatin team for valuing the importance of workplace safety and completing the comprehensive program required to be recognized as a VPP Star site," Acting Labor Secretary David A. Dickerson said. "Voluntary, proactive programs like VPP play an important role in creating safer workplaces across the state."

OHS Risks Stand Out in BCI 2019 Horizon Scan

"It is easy for leaders to be kept awake at night by high-profile risks such as cyber-attacks, technology disruptions, and IT outages, but they must not ignore the smaller, more frequent risks that steadily erode the bottom line," said Howard Kerr, the British Standards Institution's chief executive.

SHRM CEO Appointed to Workforce Policy Advisory Board

The 25-member board was created by the U.S. Department of Commerce in August 2018 to provide insight on how the government, educators, and employers can train workers and reduce the skills gap.

Federal Grant Funds Available for Passenger Ferry Operations

The Passenger Ferry Grant Program is authorized by Congress for projects that develop and support ferry service on many of the nation's waterways, including the purchase, repair, and modernization of ferry boats, terminals, and related facilities that communities depend on.

Nine Teams Chosen for Colorado's NextCycle Program

Each of the nine teams selected for the first-of-its-kind pilot program will receive a $5,000 business development grant, mentoring from the Colorado NextCycle technical advisory committee, and technical support from RRS, the recycling and sustainability consulting firm assisting with the Colorado NextCycle program.

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