The rule requires mine operators to maintain the percentage of incombustible content of the combined coal dust, rock dust, and other dust at 80 percent in all accessible areas of underground bituminous coal mines.
With more than 500 exhibitors on hand, all simultaneously vying for attention -- and with a recordbreaking number of attendees on the receiving end of that vying -- this year's show was especially bustling. Here are just a few of the sights, sounds, and goods that grabbed our attention.
OSHA cited the company for one serious safety violation related to the fatality for exposing workers to struck-by hazards by not requiring them to wear high-visibility clothing and by not implementing traffic control measures.
NFPA's latest needs assessment found equipment and training shortages remain, but in fewer departments, because of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant programs.
Anthrax, Ebola, the Marburg virus, and botulinum toxin are among 11 microorganisms that may cause researchers working with them to be subject to higher security standards.
The final rule will include procedures to improve training, mitigate fatigue, and clearly define roles and responsibilities for employees in control rooms for DOT-regulated pipelines.
The agency plans to issue new risk-informed, performance-based security regulations for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste storage facilities.
"This tragedy could have been prevented," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "It is imperative that employers take steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment."
"Methylene chloride exposure can have very serious health effects, such as cancer and cardiac distress," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's area office in Marlton, N.J.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's change means that drivers returning cargo containers to the equipment provider won't have to file a written report if they found no defects in that equipment.
The board said its investigation of the September 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion has revealed emergency responders nationwide may not have the information they need to react effectively to a leak or rupture.
Saehaesung Alabama has been cited for two willful violations for failing to develop, document, and utilize lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources, and to provide workers with the knowledge and skills necessary for safe usage and removal of energy control devices.
Two years in the making, the action agenda lists 48 recommendations in seven broad areas. The theme is to redirect U.S. chemicals policy to prevent exposures and to use inherently safer chemicals.
The authors found that 53 percent of the 2,945 pesticide poisoning cases associated with drift in 11 states during 1996-2008 involved non-occupational exposures, however.
The plan is based on public feedback collected earlier. The deadline for comments is 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 1.
Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, noted that there could be some risk with cell phone use, but the evidence is not strong enough to confirm the link, and needs to be researched further.
Spill containment products made of recycled content conserve resources and reduce waste going to landfills -- a good step in the direction of zero waste.
The ASTM F2815 standard explains how to use a computer program called a permeation calculator to analyze data following a permeation test.
The six-month 2011 hurricane season begins June 1. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has predicted three to six major hurricanes will form during it.
From simulating space junk to mapping the spread of pandemic influenza, the world-class supercomputers owned by the three laboratories of the National Nuclear Security Administration have helped to solve a surprising list of non-defense challenges.