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Materials' Cost Increases Account for Spike in Proposed Bridge Rebuilding: BLS

Concrete, reinforced concrete, structural steel, granite, and asphalt paving material all have appreciated in price by at least 2,518 percent since the bridge was built, while labor costs for cement masons and other workers have risen by anywhere from 1,187 percent to 2,165 percent during the same time, the BLS analysis shows.

NC Board to Evaluate Emerging Chemicals' Risks

Increased in size from eight to 16 members, the Science Advisory Board has a new charter and the scope of its work has expanded from toxic air pollutants to the broader focus on the impact of new and emerging chemicals, including GenX and hexavalent chromium.

Fire Departments Awarded First OH Environmental Exposure Grants

Thirty-eight departments are the first in the state to receive funding under BWC's Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grant Program, which provides $2 million a year to help departments purchase safety gear and equipment designed to protect firefighters from carcinogens and other harmful elements encountered during fires.



This Oct. 18, 2017, photo shows crews placing rebar as the upper chute of the Lake Oroville flood control spillway is constructed. (Ken James/California Department of Water Resources photo)

Cost of Oroville Spillway Repairs Doubles

Heavy rains in February triggered erosion that caused an emergency evacuation of 188,000 downstream residents and necessitated extensive repairs.

Researchers Confirm Method for Assessing Body Armor Failure

NIST researchers used positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to view fibers on a molecular level.

Canada Extends Comment Period on Nuclear Emergency Recovery Document

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission wants feedback on a newly proposed regulatory document that is a framework for establishing a recovery plan in the event of a nuclear emergency in Canada.

Companies often send out an all-staff email if bad weather is predicted, but would employees really know what to do in a serious emergency, be it related to nature or man-made?

Manage Risk Rather than Disasters, UN Secretary-General Says

"An average of 24 million people are pushed into poverty every year by disasters. Many millions are forced to leave their homes. If vulnerable countries are in a constant struggle to rebuild and recover after catastrophic events, we will never achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

NIOSH Creates Robotics Research Center

NIOSH researchers have identified 61 robot-related workplace deaths between 1992 and 2015. "We suspect fatalities will increase over time because of the growing number of industrial robots being used by companies in the U.S., and from the introduction of collaborative and co-existing robots, powered exoskeletons, and autonomous vehicles into the work environment," said Dawn Castillo, MPH, director of NIOSH's Division of Safety Research and the center's program manager.

AIHA, ASSE Sign Cooperative Agreement

"In order for us to ensure protection for workers, it is imperative that all organizations with shared interests work together. We must pool our resources – people, power, knowledge, and skills – to present a united front against threats to worker health and safety and to promote the field of industrial hygiene," said AIHA President Deborah Imel Nelson.

42,000 Outlet Converters Recalled for Shock and Fire Hazards

The converters' front outlet prongs are not configured correctly, resulting in reverse polarity when plugs are inserted and posing shock and fire hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Oct. 10.

NTSB Sets Meeting on 2016 Collision Involving Casino Bus

The Oct. 23, 2016, collision on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs, Calif., occurred around 5:17 a.m. and killed 13 people, including the bus driver.

Millions Preparing for Great ShakeOut Next Week

Set to start at 10:19 a.m. on Oct. 19, the drill calls for participants to "Drop, Cover and Hold On" and also discuss their disaster plans.

Manufacturing Day 2017 Celebrated Nationwide

New research from McKinsey & Company, "Human + Machine: A new era of automation in manufacturing," examines new technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence and finds they are opening a new era in automation for manufacturers in which humans and machines will increasingly work side by side.

This Ford photo shows employees participating in the Sept. 29, 2017, Wellbeing + Wanderlust @Ford event in Dearborn, Mich. (Ford photo)

Ford Adopts Holistic Approach to Employees' Well-Being

The company on Sept. 27 announced the new approach, and it held a Wellbeing + Wanderlust @Ford event on Sept. 29 in Dearborn that the company said was intended to jump-start employees' interest in their overall health.

Second National Nanotech Day Set for Oct. 9

National Nanotechnology Day is an annual event featuring community-led events and activities on or around Oct. 9 to raise awareness of nanotechnology, how it is currently used in a variety of products, and the challenges and opportunities it holds for the future.

"The recent flight tests of the ViSAR sensor marked a major program milestone toward our goal, proving that we can take uninterrupted live video of targets on the ground even when flying through or above clouds," said Bruce Wallace, program manager in DARPA

New Radar Tests Successful, DARPA Announces

"The recent flight tests of the ViSAR sensor marked a major program milestone toward our goal, proving that we can take uninterrupted live video of targets on the ground even when flying through or above clouds," said Bruce Wallace, program manager in DARPA's Strategic Technology Office.

There is a need to use the technology available today to its fullest capability to provide the highest level of protection. (Industrial Scientific Corporation photo)

Have Stakeholders Kept Pace with Lowered TLVs and RELs?

Why is there so much comfort in the status quo when the people who need the protection of these products require so much more?

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