News

Washington — The Department of Transportation is initiating two pilot projects intended to update the department’s data analysis and integrate its current datasets with new sources, the agency announced during a Jan. 8 meeting of the Transportation Research Board.

Washington — Wintry weather has taken hold across much of the country, so OSHA is reminding employers and workers to stay mindful of safety during snow removal activities.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its human health and ecological risk assessments for glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide, and stated that it intends to seek public comment on the draft.

Ames, IA — Iowa’s truck parking information management system is slated to be fully operational by Jan. 4, 2019 – providing commercial truck drivers with “real-time, in-cab information on truck parking availability at public rest areas and private truck stops” along Interstate 80 – the state’s Department of Transportation announced Dec. 7.

Olympia, WA — The owner of a Seattle construction company is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge stemming from a 2016 employee death, marking the first time a workplace fatality in Washington state has prompted a felony charge, according to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is among five Senate Democrats who have expressed opposition to any rollback to the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s respirable coal dust rule, in a letter sent Dec. 22 to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta.

Munich — The International Platinum Group Metals Association has released a guide intended to improve safety for workers who are exposed to platinum group metals.

Washington — OSHA has renewed its alliance with the National Association of Women in Construction “to continue promoting safe and healthful working conditions for female construction workers.”

Geneva, Switzerland — The World Health Organization has released evidence-based guidelines intended to help protect workers from potential health hazards posed by manufactured nanomaterials.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued a stop-work order for a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study reviewing BSEE’s offshore oil and gas operations inspection program, the National Academies announced Dec. 21.