Risk Management


This IEAE photo by D. Calma shows Yang Dazhu, director general of the China Atomic Energy Authority, and Tomihiro Taniguchi, head of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, signing the 2007 agreement.

IAEA, China Sign Stronger Nuclear Security Deal

Building on their 2007 arrangement signed ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this document continues their cooperation and pledges them to work together on nuclear security in East Asia.

FDA Seizes $859,000 of Food from Rodent-Infested Warehouse

Investigators found 14 live rodents, seven dead rodents, 23 gnaw holes on multiple food containers, multiple containers of food containing rodent pellets, four rodent nests, and apparent rodent pellets too numerous to count.

CFATS Agriculture Surveys Due Sept. 20

DHS seeks the information from 1,274 "high-risk" facilities that may sell, transfer, or commercially apply products, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that contain chemicals on the agency's list.

Work on the national highway safety strategy began last November, and a series of stakeholder input webinars took place in June.

'Toward Zero Deaths' Meeting Maps Highway Strategy

The Transportation Research Board's Aug. 25-26 meeting in Washington, D.C., available as a webcast, looks at every aspect -- safety culture, drivers, vehicles, infrastructure, EMS -- to develop a national strategy.

Study Finds MRSA Policies Differ Among Hospitals

Hospitals vary in how they detect and treat drug-resistant staph infections, but most follow national guideline recommendations, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

OSHA Slaps SeaWorld with Willful Violation Following Death by Orca

Video footage shows the killer whale repeatedly striking and thrashing the trainer, and pulling her under water even as she attempted to escape. The autopsy report describes the cause of death as drowning and traumatic injuries.

Cheese Maker to Pay $315K for Polluting Creek in Idaho

According to DOJ, the company, which treats wastewater in a facility separate from its cheese-making plant, repeatedly violated its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit over a period of three years, affecting a waterway that flows into the Boise River, a salmon habitat.

Cal/OSHA Adopts Revised Heat Safety Regulations

High-heat procedures are now required for five industries when temperatures reach 95 degrees or above: agriculture; construction; landscaping; oil & gas extraction; and transportation or delivery of agricultural products, construction material, or other heavy materials.



Oil Spill Workers Not Being Properly Certificated; OSHA Responds

OSHA head Dr. David Michaels said employers are allegedly withholding written certificates attesting successful completion of HAZWOPER training to prevent workers from leaving their employ.

Hickory-Handled Sledgehammers Recalled

White Cap Construction Supply Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., voluntarily recalled the tools because the head can loosen and detach, posing an injury risk to users.

Upstate NY Contractor Faces $49K Penalty for Cave-in Hazards

Agency inspectors passing by the worksite observed a worker installing a water main in an apparently unprotected 6-foot-by-6-inch deep trench. An inspection was opened on the spot and OSHA found that the trench lacked protection against a potential collapse of its walls.

K-12 School Equipment Safety Standard in the Works

The standard covers electrical and fire safety, VOC emissions, materials safety, and stability and load performance, and it includes requirements for desks, chairs, tables, visual communication products, audio-visual equipment, seating equipment, flooring, lab equipment, and more.

Company Fined $542,400 Following Fatal Mine Rib Collapse

The mining operation, located in Wise County, Va., was cited for five contributory violations in the August 2009 death of an electrician/repairman who was fatally injured when a portion of mine rib collapsed upon him.

MSHA Releases Ventilation Guidelines for Coal Mines

MSHA decided to distribute this alert based on testimony delivered during a House Education and Labor Committee hearing in Beckley, W.Va., in May that raised serious questions as to whether or not the Upper Big Branch mine was properly following ventilation standards prior to the explosion on April 5.

Fatalities Down 17 Percent Last Year: BLS

BLS said the economy "played a major role" in the drop from 2008's final count of 5,214 workplace deaths to its preliminary 2009 total, 4,340. Almost every sector and type showed an improvement, notably construction and mining.

The proposed rule is intended to prevent ejection of bus occupants in a crash or rollover.

NHTSA Proposes Lap/Seat Belts in All New Motorcoaches

The proposed rule would require them for each passenger seat and the driver's seat on passenger buses and large school buses. Comments are due by Oct. 18 on the rule, which would not require retrofitting buses now in service.

OSHA Sues Kwick Stop for Firing Whistleblower

Investigators found that an employee of the Shawnee, Okla.-based convenience store chain was fired after complaining about safety hazards at a store. In addition to back pay and reinstatement, the Labor Department is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the employee.

FDA Proposes Withdrawal of Low Blood Pressure Drug

Orthostatic hypotension is a condition in which patients are unable to maintain blood pressure in the upright position and, therefore, become dizzy or faint when they stand up.

Scott Health & Safety Receives 2-Million Hour Safety Award

The North Carolina Department of Labor presented it in recognition of that achievement at the company's Monroe, N.C., manufacturing facility.

Since Aug. 4 OSHA has issued penalties against three farmer-owned Cooperative Plus facilities in Wisconsin, including this one in Genoa City.

Violations at Two More Wis. Grain Sites Make Co-op’s Fines Top $1M This Month

At one of the sites, the farmer-owned company failed to test the atmosphere before entry and to have an employee entering wear a safety harness and lifeline. It also failed to post an employee to observe the entry. Both facilities failed to turn off and lock out power to the auger before workers entered the grain bins, investigators said.

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