The railroad issued an employee a notification of formal investigation in reprisal for reporting a work injury and also retaliated against the employee by disciplining him in the form of a letter of censure, OSHA said, noting these actions violate the Federal Rail Safety Act.
“Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "And by making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities.”
“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough,” said OSHA chief David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH. “We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”
"It is unacceptable for employers to retaliate against employees who raise safety and health concerns," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Employers will be held accountable if they violate workers' legal right to have a voice in the workplace on health and safety."
“For members of the community with specialized mobility needs, such as people with disabilities, older workers, youth and low-income earners, transportation is often the link that makes employment in good jobs possible,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.
"Pollution prevention acts were put in place to protect our natural resources," said George E. B. Holding, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. "It is disheartening when we see companies and individuals knowingly and purposely dumping oil-contaminated waste into those resources."
Completion of the English or Spanish course provides New York drivers a mandatory 10-percent reduction in the base rate of their current automobile liability, no-fault, and collision premiums for three years and up to a four point reduction on their driving record.
Under Medicare rules, the companies could bill for expensive non-emergency transports only if the patient could not be transported by any other means, such as by car or by wheelchair van. Medicare audited the companies and found they had charged tens of millions of dollars for trips that did not meet this standard.
“Roadcheck is a very beneficial program since it spotlights the importance of roadside enforcement and focuses limited state and local resources on unsafe operators," said Rob Abbott, vice president of Safety Policy for ATA.
A Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS), such as the one used for more than a decade by Air New Zealand, uses several types of monitoring systems, including monitoring a crew’s rest and reporting by the crew.
Only 10 years from now, nose-to-tail long-haul heavy trucks on dedicated freeways could move smoothly, carrying most of our goods and polluting less, the company predicts.
The U.S. Coast Guard's National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee will meet by teleconference July 1 to consider forming a subcommittee to study electrical hazards in explosive atmospheres.
The grants will go toward the development of a new Recovery Act funded high-speed rail system in Florida as well as upgrades to existing passenger rail service throughout the country.
The voluntary program announced May 11 allows trucking firms to investigate potential employees' history of crashes and serious safety violations, an idea long supported by the American Trucking Associations.
According to the organization, trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 68 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods.
"Although management knew the existing sign needed to be removed or covered, they chose to ignore the requirement and put their employees in danger," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
During a routine surveillance from March 14-20, 2008, FAA inspectors determined that FedEx had failed to incorporate Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) into its Continued Airworthiness Maintenance Program for 14 cargo Unit Load Devices.
General Manager Richard Sarles told Congress on Wednesday that the safety department of the transit system serving the nation's capital will be strengthened and his agency's safety culture will improve. The National Transportation Safety Board will meet July 27 to consider the final report on the most serious of four WMATA accidents NTSB is investigating: the June 22, 2009, collision of two trains between two Red Line stations.
The rule would prohibit the use of an electronic device—whether personal or railroad-supplied—if it interferes with an employee’s or another employee’s performance of safety-related duties.
“Air carriers cannot let maintenance issues lapse,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “When a problem is discovered, it needs to be corrected immediately.”