After almost 35 years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is ending its annual Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. The last official last edition of the list was issued in 2023 and, like the 2022 edition, was a repeat of the 2021 list. This list was the NTSB’s safety advocacy focus since its […]
Workers in the transportation industry should take extra caution when parking along the side of a roadway, according to the Oregon State Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. The Oregon FACE Program issued a Roadside Safety Hazard Alert in October 2023 pointing out that “from 2018 to 2021, 217 U.S. workers died after being […]
Traffic-related fatalities have dropped slightly in the first six months of 2023, according to federal data. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its early estimates of traffic fatalities for the first half of 2023, finding “that traffic fatalities declined for the fifth straight quarter.” There were 19,515 people killed in motor vehicle […]
Operating equipment without a clear line of sight is never a good idea, as one operator found out when his front-end loader struck a tractor-trailer and killed its driver. U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) investigators found that the employer failed to ensure that equipment operators drove with their buckets in a position that […]
The investigation of two maritime incidents caused by excessive speed during maneuvers led the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to encourage tugboat operators to set speed limits. While the incidents that led to the NTSB’s request involved tugboats, any industry that uses powered industrial trucks could also benefit from ensuring that operators slow down while […]
The Dec. 9, 2021 collision of a freight train with a passenger trolley was due to the trolley operator’s failure to stop at a crossing in time. However, cell phone use may have contributed to the incident. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators found evidence that the trolley operator used his personal cell phone minutes […]
A Trump-era rule that allowed liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail in specialized tank cars is being suspended by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), starting Oct. 31, 2023. DOT issued the rule via the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Trump-era rule was […]
A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) would require railroads to maintain and update real-time, accurate electronic information on hazardous materials shipped by rail. These new requirements from DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are aimed at improving public safety and preventing environmental impacts by providing emergency responders with […]
A proposed federal rule would require many new heavy vehicles above 10,000 pounds to have forward collision avoidance systems. The rule, introduced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, would require forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and electronic stability control systems. This proposed rule would also ensure […]
