News

Washington – OSHA administrator David Michaels and stakeholders at a recent Senate subcommittee hearing made their case for strengthening the agency’s statute that protects workers who blow the whistle on employers for violating occupational safety standards.

Washington – NIOSH’s Office of Mine Safety and Health Research is seeking proposals for robotic technologies or systems that can help improve self-escape and rescue efforts in the event of a mine disaster.

Corvallis, OR – The number of workers injured while handling fish on certain types of commercial fishing vessels could be reduced if appropriate interventions are developed, a new study concludes.

Washington – The National Transportation Safety Board hosted a forum on rail safety April 22-23 in response to a series of train derailments in 2013 that resulted in spills of flammable shipments – some leading to fatalities.

Arlington, VA – The study used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to retroactively justify changes to truck drivers’ hours-of-service regulations is flawed, claims an April 22 report from the American Transportation Research Institute.

Washington – The number and rate of fatal work injuries in 2012 are slightly higher than preliminary statistics issued last summer but still represent a decline from the previous year, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics final report.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is scheduled to release the first half of its investigation reports into the Deepwater Horizon explosion at a June 5 public meeting in Houston.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is extending the comment period to May 21 for a proposal that would establish a national database of commercial truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol testing results.

Washington – Interstate truck drivers have until May 2 to complete an anonymous online survey about the availability of truck parking in the United States.

Washington – The rail industry will be unable to meet Congress’s 2015 deadline for installing positive train control – in part because of delays caused by the Federal Communications Commission, according to the Association of American Railroads.