International Safety


Deadline Extended for Prevention Media Contest Entries

The International Media Festival for Prevention is part of the XXI World Congress for Safety and Health at Work that will take place from Sept. 3-6, 2017, in Singapore.

Safety Fines Soaring in Britain

The largest 20 fines imposed for health and safety offenses last year cost the businesses involved a total of $48.4 million, about three times more than the largest 20 fines in 2015 cost and eight times higher than in 2014.

Africa CDC Successfully Launched

The agency was created to respond to fast-spreading disease threats, such as Ebola, and to establish early warning and response surveillance systems, respond to emergencies, build capacity, and provide technical expertise to address health emergencies in a timely and effective manner.

ILO Symposium to Explore the Future of Work

The April 6-7 symposium at its Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters will convene leading thinkers on workplaces of the future, technology and automation, sustainability, and young workers.

IOSH Urges Members to Comment on New Respiratory Standard

The draft contains guidance for establishing and implementing a respiratory program, including information on the knowledge and skills necessary for a fit test operator. The plan is to publish the standard by early 2018.

Jaguar Land Rover Fined $1.1 Million After Worker's Injury

HSE said its investigators determined the company had failed to ensure the driver of the Range Rover was familiar with procedures and also failed to properly separate the workers on the production line from the moving vehicles.

DOL Renews the Maritime Advisory Committee for OSH

The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires all advisory committees to renew their charters every two years.

Canada's National Energy Board to Require More Emergency Info at Pipeline Application Stage

"Canadians have told us that they want more information about a company's emergency response information at the earliest stages of a proposed project. These changes will foster increased understanding among stakeholders, hearing participants, NEB experts, and panel members regarding a company's plans to respond should an emergency occur," said Peter Watson, chair and CEO of the board.



Record Number of Women Become New South Wales Firefighters

All 24 recruits in the Australian department's most recent class received advanced training in firefighting, road crash rescue procedures, advanced first aid, community risk management, fire science, and hazardous materials response.

Report Identifies Australia's Most Dangerous Highways

The Australian Automobile Association's report identifies the 10 worst sections of highway comprising the National Land Transport Network.

Pictograms are required safety data sheet elements that are intended to convey specific hazard information visually.

GHS Becomes Mandatory in Australia on Jan. 1

GHS was introduced in Australia in January 2012 with a five-year transition period to give chemical manufacturers and importers enough time to implement the necessary changes. It applies to chemicals with physical hazards, health hazards, and environmental hazards.

ECHA Agreement Addresses Nanomaterials Information

The European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EU-ON) will be developed in three phases, with phase one set to go live in summer 2017.

Britain Unveils New Health and Work Strategy

Last year, work-related illness affected around 1.3 million workers and nearly 26 million working days were lost because of it, costing more than £9 billion, or about $11 billion in U.S. dollars, annually for new cases alone.

New Chief of ICAO Air Navigation Commission Appointed

Hajime Yoshimura will serve a one-year term as president of the ICAO Air Navigation Commission beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. It is the UN civil aviation organization's main technical body.

Chernobyl Reactor Shield's Move Completed

A ceremony in Chernobyl on Nov. 29 marked the successful conclusion of the sliding operation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced.

Image courtesy of AP and Luis Benavides

More Than 70 Dead After Brazilian Soccer Team's Plane Crashes

An early report indicates authorities say the plane crashed as a result of an electrical failure.

SafeWork NSW Releases Alert on Tower Crane Work

The alert states that erection/climbing/dismantling of tower cranes is a potentially hazardous process involving work at heights, awkward postures, lifting and aligning components of significant size and mass, and installing temporary support systems, all of which often are done under significant time pressure due to the need for road closures, suitable daylight hours, or short weather windows.

Researchers Document Zika-Related Microcephaly Onset After Birth

Their report was published Nov. 22 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, describing 13 infants in Brazil with congenital Zika virus infection who did not have microcephaly at birth but later experienced slowed head growth.

10,000 Prison Officers Protest Due to Health and Safety Concerns

The Jo Cox murder trial has been put on hold.

According to IOSH, research suggests that each year in Britain approximately 800 people die from lung cancer caused by prolonged exposure to RCS at work, and 900 new cases are being diagnosed annually.

EU Publishes Respirable Crystalline Silica Guide

In putting together the guide, the working group considered the practices of hundreds of inspectors from the 28 member states of the European Union. The first release is in English and it will be translated to all official languages in the EU.

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