Retired Adm. William H. McRaven delivered a passionate Opening Session Monday morning at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo. He detailed his time as a Navy SEAL trainee with compelling stories and a slideshow.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) joined NSC President and CEO, Deborah Hersman, for a press unveiling of the Prescribed to Death opioid memorial on Monday at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Houston. The memorial has been touring the country since last November, stopping in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Buffalo, N.Y., Fayetteville Ark., and Washington, D.C., where it sat on the South Lawn of the White House.

New this year at the NSC Congress & Expo is “The Experience of Seeing Safety.” The interactive exercises developed by the Center of Visual Expertise (COVE), in collaboration with the Toledo Museum of Art, will teach attendees to see differently and apply new skills to key elements of their own safety program.

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has two key questions since the publication of ANSI/ASSP A10.28-2018, Safety Requirements for Work Platforms Suspended from Cranes or Derricks, which applies to platforms that companies suspend from the load lines of cranes or derricks.

Although the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not yet determined a probable cause for a 2017 traffic accident in New Mexico that ultimately killed 8 people, a preliminary report on the incident indicates a tire problem with the truck that was involved.

Annually, thousands of construction supervisors take the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 30-hour outreach-training program to learn how to identify and control occupational hazards. However, until recently it did not include content on leadership.

Some companies may be reluctant to invite OSHA into a plant voluntarily but Mike DeSoto, chief operating officer of MI Windows and Doors, said the end result is "very worth it." DeSoto spoke at the recent American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2018 Fall Conference about the need to implement a culture of workplace safety.

Long-haul truck drivers routinely sleep away from home, spending long hours sitting behind the wheel. These drivers often depend on truck stops for the opportunity to sleep, stretch, get a meal, and visit the rest room. While most truck stops provide these basics, truck stops often lack exercise facilities, nutritious food, and healthcare, according to NIOSH research published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a memo Thursday weakening workers’ protection against employer retaliation for reporting injuries and illnesses. Section 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) of the Obama administrations 2016 “Electronic Recordkeeping Rule” told employers that “You must not discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness.”

OSHA has cited a Pennsylvania contractor for health and safety violations following an electrical accident on April 12, 2018 that killed one worker and injured two others. News sources said a crew employed by Pipe Contracting LLC was repairing the sewer system when a machine the workers were using touched a 23,000-volt high-tension line.