With nearly one million hazmat shipments a day across the United States, being prepared for accidents is crucial. “The safety record for these shipments is good, but unfortunately, accidents occasionally happen,” according to the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman is testifying about pipeline safety today before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Hersman will provide an overview of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the cause of a natural gas transmission pipeline rupture that occurred in Sissonville, West Virginia on Dec.11, 2012.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the Dec. 11, 2012, rupture of a natural gas transmission line in Sissonville, W.Va.

A new American Petroleum Institute (API) report shows that operational injuries and illness for the oil and natural gas industry occur at a rate substantially below the private sector average. The Workplace Safety Report also shows the oil and gas industry rate has been steadily declining.

During the holiday break, on December 27, EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced her departure from the Obama administration cabinet after the President’s State of the Union address in late January. Jackson issued this statement:

Here are the week’s top occupational health and safety stories from www.ISHN.com:

While pipeline failures are relatively rare, over the past few years there’ve been some devastating – and deadly – pipeline failures in the U.S.

American Petroleum Institute (API) Pipeline Director Peter Lidiak says he “welcomed” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation findings and recommendations for the 2010 crude oil spill in Marshall, Michigan.

Pervasive organizational failures by a pipeline operator along with weak federal regulations led to a pipeline rupture and subsequent oil spill in 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will meet next week to determine the probable cause and consider safety recommendations for a pipeline rupture and oil spill accident last year in Michigan.