Risk Management


The analysis of heavy truck accidents in Europe showed truckers are seldom at fault for injury accidents.

EU Study Confirms Truckers Cause Few Accidents

Accident reconstruction experts examined 624 injury accidents in seven European countries involving at least one heavy truck. Truckers caused 25 percent of the ones linked to human error, they concluded.

Foundations of Hand Protection

The next time someone at your facility experiences a destructive hand injury, advise all department managers of the status of the injury and the costs associated. Tie it to their bonus pay.

The question is whether welders in the field should have control over the power coming out of the welding machine.

Advancing Stick Welding Safety

Why are stick welding machine conductors allowed to lie around with power on them all the time? The only answer that seems to ring true is that it has always been that way.

Study: Having Interpreters in the ER Improves Safety, Efficiency, Overall Mood

“Using the same interpreter from triage to discharge creates continuity of care and also ensures that we are not missing anything important when talking to the patient,” said study co-author Dr. Robert Eisenstein. “It has the potential to help us get a more accurate patient assessment on arrival in the emergency department as well as better patient compliance with discharge instructions because the patient actually understands what we’re telling them to do!”

The Year of the Spill

In the end, all of us will pay for this disaster.

Construction of venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games is well under way in London.

London Looks Ahead

With construction of venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games well under way, a study commissioned by HSE analyzed the risks and hazards at major sports events around the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was insured for a total of about $9.4 billion, according to Lloyd's.

Applesauce Maker Pays $300K for Sexually Hostile Work Environment

According to the lawsuit, a class of female farmworkers was subjected to threatening behavior by male coworkers who made lewd and unwanted sexual advances and used a forklift to chase women or block them with their bodies or a broom while they walked down the hall of the processing plant.

Foam Firm Fined $450,000 for Volatile Organic Compound Emissions

“Since Southern California has the worst air pollution in the nation, for the sake of public health we must ensure that all businesses are operating in compliance with air quality regulations and doing their part to help improve our air,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.



$1 Million in Commercial Vehicle Driver Training Grants Offered

“We depend on professional truck and bus drivers to safely move our economy,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “This grant program makes an investment in our workforce, while ensuring that new commercial drivers are well-trained and focused on safety."

ATRI Updates Online Idling Regulations Compendium

Provided as a free service to help trucking companies and truck drivers, the new information includes the latest exemptions to idling regulations in effect in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Detroit.

Both alcohol and anabolic steroids might be added to the DOE workplace substance abuse program for contractor employees.

DOE May Test Contractors for Alcohol, Steroids

Its Office of Health, Safety and Security seeks comments about potentially adding both to its current program, which randomly tests for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, and amphetamines.

Noise Complaint against Freight Firm Leads to Truckload of Citations

The 33 serious violations OSHA found in its inspection include improper machine guarding, inadequate PPE, a deficient hazard communication program, electrical hazards, and deficient use of lockout/tagout devices for energy sources that prevent the inadvertent start-up of machines.

Fatal Confined-Space Explosion Leads to Penalties for Polymer Plant

Two workers were burned while applying primer inside a tanker trailer. One worker died and another remains hospitalized with burns to more than 90 percent of his body. A third worker, the attendant monitoring the confined space in the event of an emergency, was blown off the tank when the vapors ignited.

FDA said 125 primary reports and 1,638 subsequent reports were submitted during the first seven months the registry was in operation.

FDA Hails New Food Safety Reporting System's Success

The Reportable Food Registry requires manufacturers, processors, packers, and distributors to immediately report to the government safety problems with food and animal feed that are likely to result in serious health consequences.

Bill Would Create New Roadway Safety Training Institute

“Too many families lose loved ones each year on our nation’s roadways," said Rep. Brett Guthrie. "The I-65 corridor in Kentucky has seen several tragedies this year. Hopefully this program will help to improve safety in these dangerous areas.”

DOL Seeks Public's Advice on Improving Disability Regulations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21.7 percent of people with disabilities were in the labor force in June 2010, compared with 70.5 percent of people with no disability. In addition, the unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 14.4 percent, compared with 9.4 percent unemployment for those without a disability.

Cave-in Hazards Could Cost Connecticut Contractor $61,800

"The gravity of this type of hazard cannot be overstated," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's acting area director in Hartford, Conn. "The collapsing walls of a trench can crush or bury workers in seconds.”

Projects to improve the flow of freight and people have been green-lighted in Chicago.

Chicago Getting Congestion Relief

According to DOT, about 25 percent of rail traffic in the United States travels through the Chicago region, in some instances taking longer to transit the city than the time it took to reach it from the east or west coasts.

Rule proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection would strengthen state regulations for casing and cementing oil and gas wells.

Concern Rising about Marcellus Shale Wells

The last of four public hearings about proposed rule changes by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection takes place tonight, and the U.S. Senate HELP Committee holds a field hearing today about safety – both are in Pittsburgh.

The long-awaited Doyle Drive Replacement Project should take about three years.

Road to Golden Gate Bridge Getting Billion-Dollar Makeover

When completed in 2013, the project will replace the 73-year-old Doyle Drive southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. The project will also result in structural and seismic improvements to the Presidio Trust and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area nearby.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence