Inspections

Washington – OSHA has issued a new compliance directive to help guide inspectors in the enforcement of the agency’s updated Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard.

Amsterdam – A wide-ranging effort to improve fire and building safety in response to a deadly Bangladesh building collapse in 2013 has resulted in more than 1,100 factory inspections in the country and more than 400 corrective action plans, officials said Oct. 14.

Washington – The Federal Railroad Administration should no longer exempt commuter railroads from individual inspections of their most highly used tracks, the National Transportation Safety Board urged in a recommendation issued May 19.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released regulatory guidance for roadside inspectors on what information must be displayed on electronic logging devices that currently meet FMCSA regulations for tracking drivers’ hours-of-service compliance.

Crooklands, England – In acknowledgment of the growing demand for second-hand mobile elevating work platforms and the retention of aging equipment in rental fleets, the International Powered Access Federation has released new technical guidance on inspections of access platforms to help keep the equipment safe beyond the manufacturer’s design life.

San Diego – Describing a recent increase of worker deaths in the communications industry as “unacceptable,” OSHA administrator David Michaels stressed the need for proper safety precautions.

Washington – OSHA has withdrawn from its website a guidance document for compliance officers who inspect grain storage facilities, stating that it is working on a new version to ease concerns that the guidance ignored a law exempting family farms from OSHA inspections.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should revise its process for predicting which commercial truck and bus carriers have the highest risk of crashes, the Government Accountability Office has recommended after completing an audit of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

Experts say understanding how to select and use leading indicators can create a stronger safety culture. Safety+Health explores six leading indicators – as well as why the definition of a leading indicator is still under debate.

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to remove a regulation requiring roadside inspectors to check for underinflated tires.