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Should states be allowed to make their own rules for truckers’ meal and rest breaks?

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for comments on petitions seeking to restore California’s and Washington state’s rules on meal and rest breaks for commercial truck and bus drivers.




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Cell Phone Policy Kit for Employers

The National Safety Council has prepared a toolkit for employers including sample cell phone policies and more.




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Workplace safety toolkit for Canadian immigrants

A new tool developed for immigrant workers in Ontario is intended to help them adjust to the province's workplace safety rules, according to the Institute for Work & Health, a nonprofit research organization.




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Universities partner on toolkit to improve health, safety and wellness

Lowell, MA – A new online toolkit aims to help employers integrate their health, safety and wellness programs.




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OSHA releases web resource for hospital workers

Washington – OSHA on Jan. 15 launched a web resource to help prevent injuries among hospital workers.




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Make traffic safety a part of company culture, employer network says

Vienna, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety has developed a free online toolkit to help organizations strengthen their road safety programs.




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Drive Safely Work Week is Oct. 6-10

Vienna, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety is encouraging employers to bolster their safety culture as part of Drive Safely Work Week (Oct. 6-10).




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Free workbook aims to help measure safety culture

Silver Spring, MD – Managers hoping to improve their workplace safety climate can reference a new workbook from the Center for Construction Research and Training (also known as CPWR).




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NIOSH releases online training for emergency responders who work long hours

Washington – An online training resource from NIOSH aims to help emergency responders who work long hours in demanding situations.




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Toolkit offers strategies for improving flu shot rates among nursing home workers

A new online toolkit offers guidance on increasing flu vaccination coverage among workers in long-term health care facilities.




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Roofing contractor safety website offers webinars, toolbox talks

The National Roofing Contractors Association and roofing manufacturer GAF have teamed up to create a website intended to help roofing contractors keep their employers safe.




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NIOSH, OSHA offer toolkit on respiratory protection for health care workers

Washington – A new toolkit from OSHA and NIOSH aims to help protect health care workers from transmissible diseases and other respiratory hazards.




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Nova Scotia, industry group release safety toolkit for small businesses

Liverpool, Nova Scotia – Small to medium-sized employers have a new online resource to help them create a safer workplace.




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Drive Safely Work Week is Oct. 5-9

Vienna, VA – The annual Drive Safely Work Week, presented by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, is scheduled for Oct. 5-9.




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New safety resources available to Spanish-speaking workers

Washington – Two agencies have released materials to help educate Spanish-speaking workers about occupational safety.




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Annual campaign urges workers to ‘Drive Focused, Drive Smart’

McLean, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety is offering a free online toolkit to help employers keep workers and their families safe on the road as part of NETS’ Drive Safely Work Week Oct. 5-9.




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MIOSHA offers kit, video to help medical and dental offices comply with regs

Lansing, MI – The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released a toolkit and video to help medical and dental offices comply with state health standards.




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New poster details ways firefighters can reduce cancer risk

Washington — In response to multiple studies showing that firefighters are at an increased risk for many types of cancers, the National Volunteer Fire Council and four other organizations have developed a poster intended to help firefighters understand their risks and take action to protect themselves.




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OSHA launches database of workplace chemical information

Washington — A new database from OSHA offers access to safety profiles and information on workplace chemicals.




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NORA Manufacturing Council unveils website to help with lockout, other energy control programs

Washington — The National Occupational Research Agenda Manufacturing Sector Council has created an online resource guide intended to assist organizations in beginning, maintaining or enhancing their hazardous energy control programs.




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CPWR releases alert, toolbox talk on lightning safety

Silver Spring, MD — Stressing the importance of lightning awareness while working outdoors, the Center for Construction Research and Training – also known as CPWR – has published a hazard alert and toolbox talk addressing the topic.




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COVID-19 pandemic: Canadian government publishes tip sheets for essential and high-risk workers

Hamilton, Ontario — A series of free guidance documents from the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety is intended to help workers and employers in essential or high-risk occupations and industries reduce their exposure to COVID-19 and curb the spread of infection.




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‘No two roofs are basically alike’: CPWR hosts webinar on fall protection

Silver Spring, MD — Roofers face an increased risk of fatal falls to a lower level compared with other construction subgroups, making fall protection strategies a vital component of roof work planning and training.




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Falls in construction: CPWR survey seeks worker observations

Silver Spring, MD — How can employer interventions be improved to help prevent fatal falls to a lower level among construction workers? CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, in conjunction with the American National Standards Institute Z359 Committee, has developed a survey to collect observations from workers who have witnessed or experienced a fall.




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National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction to kick off with webinar

Washington — The eighth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is set to kick off on May 3 with a webinar hosted by OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR – the Center for Construction Research and Training.




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OSHA proposes updates to handrail, stair rail requirements in Walking-Working Surfaces standard

Washington — OSHA is seeking to update the handrail and stair rail system requirements in its standard on walking-working surfaces for general industry.




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Lone worker safety

“There has to be a plan in place to let people work alone,” one expert says. “You’ve got to have a safety policy.”




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On the Safe Side podcast Episode 24: How an OSHA ETS works and ladder safety

In Episode 24, the S+H editorial team discusses some frequently asked questions about how OSHA emergency temporary standards and regulations work. Also, Christina Socias-Morales, an epidemiologist in the NIOSH Division of Safety Research, joins us to discuss National Ladder Safety Month, coming in March.




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On the Safe Side podcast Episode 26: Language barriers at work and preventing falls in construction

In Episode 26, the S+H editorial team examines how language barriers can affect workplace safety. In addition, Jessica Bunting, director of the Research to Practice initiative at CPWR, discusses the ninth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, set for May 2-6.




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New poster: OSHA requirements for mechanical service and construction work on low-slope roofs

Rockville, MD — OSHA requirements for mechanical service and mechanical construction on low-slope roofs – and the differences between them – are the topic of a new poster from the Mechanical Contractors Association of America.




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Safety is King: NYC videos focus on fall protection

New York — Aiming to keep construction workers safe from falls, the New York City Department of Buildings is relying on fashion and a music legend to help spread safety messages.




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Steel erectors association releases poster on pre-task meetings

Winston-Salem, NC — The Steel Erectors Association of America has created a downloadable poster for the 10th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction – set for May 1-5.




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Keep construction sites safe during winter: NYC has tips

New York — Remove all snow, ice and other debris from construction jobsites to help reduce slip and trip hazards.




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5 reasons why falls in construction keep happening

“It’s definitely a difficult issue,” the associate director of the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health says.




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7 common workplace safety hazards (revisited)

A follow-up – eight years later – to one of our most popular articles.




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14th Annual Top Systems Integrators: Making Waves

The big splash security systems integrators made in the market during the first three quarters of 2008 was tempered by a fourth quarter that looked more like a quiet ripple




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SDM 2019 Top Systems Integrators Report: Security Projects Coming From All Market Sectors

Security integrators describe the 2018 market for integrated security systems as “strong,” “hot” and “accelerated” — all apt terms, given that the nation’s largest integrators grew their systems integration revenue by at least 14 percent last year.




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Top Systems Integrators Report 2022: Taking on the Elephant in the Room

In the face of significant obstacles, the 2022 SDM Top Systems Integrators are demonstrating the resilience, creativity and perseverance that keeps them at the top.




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Lack of Positive Train Control system a factor in fatal rail incident, NTSB concludes

Washington — Fully operational Positive Train Control technology “would have intervened” to stop a fatal Amtrak passenger train derailment in which crew members were inadequately trained and tested on various aspects of a new route, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded after its investigation into the December 2017 incident in DuPont, WA.




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FRA seeks further delay of rule on passenger railroad safety programs

Washington — Nearly two years after the Federal Railroad Administration first published a final rule requiring commuter and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement system safety programs, the process has hit another hurdle.




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FRA seeks to delay implementation of training for safety-related railroad workers

Washington — In response to a petition for rulemaking, the Federal Railroad Administration is seeking to further delay by 16 months the implementation dates of its proposed Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees regulation.




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FRA delays implementation of training for safety-related railroad workers

Washington — In response to a petition for rulemaking, the Federal Railroad Administration is delaying by 16 months the implementation dates of its Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees regulation.




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DeFazio: Final rule on railroad risk reduction programs fails to address fatigue

Washington — Effective April 20, the Federal Railway Administration is requiring the nation’s largest freight railroads – known as Class I – and smaller freight railroads with “inadequate safety performance” to develop and implement a formal risk reduction program. However, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says the final rule does not fulfill a congressional mandate to address rail worker fatigue.




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Rail crossing safety for concrete, garbage and dump truck drivers: New video available

Washington — A new video from a rail safety education group is aimed at helping drivers of concrete, garbage and dump trucks safely navigate rail crossings.




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Cranes and derricks in railroad roadway work: OSHA clarifies final rule; lists exemptions

Washington — OSHA is providing specific exemptions and clarifications for railroad roadway work in its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard.




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FRA revises regs on roadway worker protection, maintenance machine

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration has finalized amendments to a pair of regulations related to roadway worker safety and on-track roadway maintenance machines and hi-rail vehicles.




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FRA lays out requirements for railroads’ fatigue risk management programs

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a final rule requiring certain railroads to develop and implement a fatigue risk management program as a component of their larger safety risk reduction program.




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FRA seeks comment on proposal to codify train crew size requirements

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration is requesting public comment on a proposed rule that would require at least two crew members for most trains.




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FRA requests input on provision in Risk Reduction Program final rule

Washington — Responding to a petition for reconsideration of a final rule on its Risk Reduction Program, the Federal Railroad Administration is seeking comment on whether to keep or remove a provision clarifying that certain contractors are considered a railroad’s directly affected employees.




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Unintended train brake release spurs FRA advisory

Washington — In response to an incident involving the unintended release of a train’s automatic air brakes while stopped at a signal, the Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety advisory.