What Americans fear most in terms of health and wellness is not necessarily what is currently posing the most danger to them, according to a recent survey by SafeWise. In The State of Safety, a report based on the results of the survey, the independent review site found that falls are the biggest health and wellness concern, while an accidental overdose is way down on the list, coming in at number nine for both men and women.

Amanda Gabriele of North Haven, Conn., would love to be wrong. The mother of two, Gabriele has been anxiously awaiting results of a federal study begun in 2016 to unravel the public health mystery of synthetic turf laced with crumbs of ground-up tires. With at least 12,000 crumb rubber fields already in use in the United States – and 1,200 to 1,500 more going in each year – the stakes of the federal study are high: Has America finally found a new home for its old, cast-off tires?

The EPA has announced $84,500 in penalties against StarKist Co. and its subsidiary, Starkist Samoa Co., for violating the terms of a 2018 settlement designed to remedy deficiencies at their tuna processing facility in American Samoa to achieve environmental compliance. “EPA will continue to work closely with StarKist to ensure the needed safety and pollution control upgrades are realized, per our agreement,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker.

Floods, droughts, record-breaking temperatures – the evidence indicates that addressing climate change has become one of the world’s most pressing issues, which is why the publication of two International Organization for Standards (ISO) standards will have a significant part to play in helping to reduce damaging greenhouse gases. Tackling the effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on global warming and the subsequent impact on climate change is one of the defining, and intractable, challenges of our time.

Ergodyne has announced the addition of three new item to its SHAX® line of portable work shelters. The SHAX® line features a number of pop-up tents and accessories designed to go up quickly and easily to provide shade and shelter at a jobsite.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) – the leading association for the construction industry - will hold its first-ever Construction Safety, Health + Environmental Conference on July 23-25, 2019, in Seattle, Washington. The AGC says the conference will “hone in on the most critical safety, health, and environmental compliance and risk issues impacting the business of construction.”

A fire at a Houston chemical plant yesterday morning killed one person, left two with critical injuries and caused residents living within a mile of the facility to shelter in place. It is unclear whether the victims were employees at the plant. News sources say the incident at KMCO plant began when a tank of isobutylene ignited, and the fire spread to an adjacent storage building.

Environmental groups are raising alarm about the consequences of using foam retardant to quell the enormous fire that raged for days at the International Terminals Co. (ITC) in Texas. Storage tanks that were ablaze at the chemical facility near the Deer Park facility contained gasoline blends, base oils, xylene, pyrolysis gasoline and naptha. ITC fire crews only managed to gain traction on the third day.

Baron, the worldwide provider of critical weather intelligence, announces a new weather forecasting model available immediately in the company’s Baron Threat Net, Baron API, and broadcast products. Weather models are produced via intense computer analysis using known and projected atmospheric conditions and current sensor readings.

To enhance safety and environmental protection, the EPA’s Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Final Rule, which became effective federally last year, requires identification including the words “Hazardous Waste,” a description of the container’s hazards, and the date the accumulation started on each container.