Today's Safety News

RSS

Fires at an oil tank and a furniture stripping company injured four fighters in two different states yesterday. In one incident, a hydraulic line for a 240-gallon oil tank broke and ignited at the Salt River Project plant in Gilbert, Arizona yesterday morning, according to news sources.

Hurricane season is officially underway – and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that hurricane activity will be at above normal levels this year. With circulating air and wind speeds that can exceed 155 miles per hour, these storm systems are capable of inflicting tremendous damage on communities, such as the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy last year on the northeastern U.S. and six other countries.

Calumet Montana Refining modified high-voltage electrical equipment to keep the asphalt mill operating, “despite the safety concerns this modification presented to employees," said Jeff Funke, OSHA’s area director in Billings.

Hebrew Home and Hospital Inc. has been cited by OSHA for 14 serious violations of workplace safety standards carrying proposed penalties of $58,800. The West Hartford health care facility was inspected under OSHA's national emphasis program for nursing and residential care facilities.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is requesting data, comments and information about refuge alternatives for miners in underground coal mines.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has entered into a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to improve safety and health conditions in all 2,857 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores under federal jurisdiction.

OGP, the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, has published new guidance to help companies aid one another in case of a major offshore incident, a move that strengthens the industry’s efforts to improve response to major incidents, should they ever occur again.

OSHA has issued a final rule that will require all federal agencies to submit their OSHA-required injury and illness data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics every year. This data will allow OSHA to analyze the injuries and illnesses that occur among the more than two million federal agency workers and develop training and inspection programs to respond to the hazards identified.

Following a 2012 explosion that killed three workers and three loss of well control incidents since February, federal government officials met with offshore oil and gas industry executives last week to talk about improving safety in offshore operations – particularly in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico.

In an effort to reverse the increase in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is making $2 million in safety grants available to cities with the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities.