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Contractor Sentenced in UK Trench Fatality

The HSE investigators found the work was not planned appropriately, with insufficient risk assessment and workers not appropriately trained or equipped to perform the work or prevent the collapse.

In 2014, 669 fatalities occurred in highway work zones -- a slight increase over the previous year. While work zone fatalities are about half of what they were 15 years ago, there is still more work to be done, FHWA Deputy Administrator David Kim said.

2016 National Work Zone Awareness Week Under Way

"As spring advances and warm weather allows highway roadwork to resume after the winter, we must remember that the lives of highway workers are often in our hands," FHWA Deputy Administrator David Kim wrote as he urged Americans to travel safely through work zones.

Most at risk are outdoor workers, including agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, construction workers, transportation workers, and first responders, but workers in hot indoor environments such as warehouses and factories are also at risk of heat illnesses.

Report Assesses Climate Change's Impacts on Workers

Most at risk are outdoor workers, including agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, construction workers, transportation workers, and first responders, but workers in hot indoor environments such as warehouses and factories are also at risk of heat illnesses.



NFPA Electrical Code Second Draft Report Available

The deadline to submit a Notice of Intent to Make a Motion on the Second Draft Report for NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code®, is April 29.

Coast Guard Seeking Boating Safety Council Members

The National Boating Safety Advisory Council advises the U.S. Coast Guard on recreational boating safety regulations and other major boating safety matters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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