A towing vessel’s captain mistaken estimate of a crane’s height caused $1.5 to $2 million in damage and offers a safety lesson for workers in any industry. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the probable cause of the incident was the captain’s incorrect estimate of the crane boom height and his decision to […]
Outdoor workers in Washington may be getting increased protections from extreme heat under a proposed update to the state’s permanent heat rules. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) filed the proposed update, which could see the rule’s trigger temperature lowered, on March 21 along with a request for public input. Currently, the […]
Does it seem like chemical-related accidents are on the upswing? It’s not your imagination according to The Guardian, a British news outlet. “[A]ccidental releases – be they through train derailments, truck crashes, pipeline ruptures or industrial plant leaks and spills – are … occurring, on average, every two days. “The precise number of hazardous chemical […]
The East Palestine, Ohio chemical disaster is spurring a bipartisan push for better rail safety. Ohio Senators J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) are proposing tougher guidelines for trains carrying hazardous materials: Bipartisan support in Congress may be there “Right now, fines don’t make a dent in the profits of big [rail] corporations,” says […]
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is proposing revised regulations on workplace exposure to lead in general industry and construction. On March 3, Cal/OSHA published a notice of proposed revised regulations indicating that existing requirements are based on lead toxicity information and medical data that’s more than 40 years old. According to the board, more recent evidence […]
March is National Ladder Safety Month, a time when the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) asks employers to take a moment to highlight ladder and fall safety for workers. On average, one construction worker dies in a fall from heights in the U.S. every day, according to NIOSH. Many of these falls […]
A new safety alert has been issued by a federal agency focusing on the potential hazards of emergency discharges from pressure release valves at chemical manufacturing facilities. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued a new safety alert on emergency discharges from pressure release valves based on information gathered from four investigations. […]
Some small business owners may think a job hazard analysis (JHA) isn’t required on their jobsites because the work they perform is specialized and their workers just “know what to do.” A Feb. 27 report on a fatal incident in Washington State reveals that sort of thinking can lead to tragedy. Employees working onsite with […]
Two new issues have come up in the ongoing clean-up of the toxic chemicals spilled in the East Palestine, OH train derailment: melted protective coverings on pressure relief valves and clean-up workers getting sick. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is urging all freight rail companies to examine the protective coverings placed over […]
