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New Food Safety Leader for IFIC

Marianne Smith Edge has been named senior vice president of Nutrition and Food Safety at the International Food Information Council and the International Food Information Council Foundation, which recently released its 2010 Food & Health Survey.

EPA Proposes Year's Grace on Spill Prevention Rule--But Not for Offshore Drillers

The purpose of the SPCC rule, which was finalized in 1973, is to establish requirements for facilities to prevent a discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.

Drive Safely Work Week 2010 is focused on the dangers of distracted driving, particularly the use of cell phones and texting.

Free Materials to Combat Distracted Driving

Organizations can download the Drive Safely Work Week 2010 Tool Kit free of charge through Sept. 20 when they complete a simple online survey. The week is a partnership of NETS and DOT, which will present a Distracted Driving Summit on Sept. 21.



U.S. Seeks Permanent Injunction against N.Y. Cream Cheese, Salad Maker

Recent FDA testing has found Listeria contamination throughout the defendants' facility and in a sample of its finished product. Although the company promised to address and correct deficiencies following inspections in 2006, 2007, and 2009, a 2010 inspection confirmed that the company continued to operate without adequate controls, the agency said.

Aircraft Parts Plant Cited for 44 Violations in Connecticut

Among the wide range of dangers inspectors listed were the risk of laceration, amputation, or crushing injuries; electrical hazards; fire and explosion hazards stemming from combustible dust; improper storage of flammable liquids; and insufficient monitoring of exmployees’ exposure to hexavalent chromium.

Drive-by Inspection Results in $60,000 in Fines for Builder

"While it is fortunate that no one was injured here, good luck is never an acceptable worker safeguard,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA's area director for Rhode Island. “For the safety and well-being of its workers, this employer must take effective, ongoing action to prevent these hazards from recurring."

43,600 Counterfeit Circuit Breakers Recalled

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the voluntary recall Monday by Miami Breaker Inc. of Miami, Fla. They were sold by electrical product distributors and wholesalers nationwide from March 2005 through July 2006.

OSHA Continues to Hound USPS; Vermont Mail Facility the Latest Offender

The agency’s latest action, with penalties of $420,000 against the mail facility in White River Junction, Vt., follows its citations against five individual postal facilities in June in various parts of the country -- all centering around insufficient electrical safety practices -- with fines adding up to more than $1.3 million for the month, plus DOL's filing on July 6 against USPS for enterprise-wide relief.

The analysis of heavy truck accidents in Europe showed truckers are seldom at fault for injury accidents.

EU Study Confirms Truckers Cause Few Accidents

Accident reconstruction experts examined 624 injury accidents in seven European countries involving at least one heavy truck. Truckers caused 25 percent of the ones linked to human error, they concluded.

Study: Having Interpreters in the ER Improves Safety, Efficiency, Overall Mood

“Using the same interpreter from triage to discharge creates continuity of care and also ensures that we are not missing anything important when talking to the patient,” said study co-author Dr. Robert Eisenstein. “It has the potential to help us get a more accurate patient assessment on arrival in the emergency department as well as better patient compliance with discharge instructions because the patient actually understands what we’re telling them to do!”

This photo shows some of the destruction caused by the December 2004 Asian tsunami.

Global Database Being Developed for Use in Disasters

INTERPOL is working with five European partners to create FASTID, which became a priority after the Asian tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, killed at least 227,000 people.

Applesauce Maker Pays $300K for Sexually Hostile Work Environment

According to the lawsuit, a class of female farmworkers was subjected to threatening behavior by male coworkers who made lewd and unwanted sexual advances and used a forklift to chase women or block them with their bodies or a broom while they walked down the hall of the processing plant.

Foam Firm Fined $450,000 for Volatile Organic Compound Emissions

“Since Southern California has the worst air pollution in the nation, for the sake of public health we must ensure that all businesses are operating in compliance with air quality regulations and doing their part to help improve our air,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

OR-OSHA Announces 2010 Workers' Memorial Scholarships

Three of the four students will receive theirs Aug. 19 at a ceremony in Salem. The fourth chose to remain anonymous, the agency said.

New Crash Test Ratings Introduced

NHTSA also has identified the initial car models to be tested.

$1 Million in Commercial Vehicle Driver Training Grants Offered

“We depend on professional truck and bus drivers to safely move our economy,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “This grant program makes an investment in our workforce, while ensuring that new commercial drivers are well-trained and focused on safety."

The EEOC report assesses the state of equal employment opportunity throughout the nation.

EEOC Releases FY 2009 Federal Work Force Report

The number of women in the federal workforce rose from 42.3 percent to 44.06 percent; Hispanics/Latinos from 6.81 percent to 7.90 percent; and Asian-Americans from 5.22 percent to 5.84 percent. The total workforce increased by 15.09 percent. Meanwhile, federal agencies’ efficiency in handling the complaint process slipped.

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