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Cars can start wildfires, Oregon DOT warns

Did you know your car could cause a wildfire if you’re not careful? The Oregon Department of Transportation says more than 70% of the state’s wildfires in 2021 were caused by people.




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Tornado safety: Have a plan

Tornadoes can happen at any time of year but, depending on where you live, certain months see more activity. Are your workers prepared for a tornado warning?




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‘Turn around don’t drown’ in floodwaters

Flooding can happen anywhere in the country, and it’s a year-round hazard that happens in all 50 states. As little as 6 inches of floodwater can cause vehicles to lose control and stall, the National Weather Service warns.




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CSB to vote on OSHA’s 'unacceptable' implementation of recommendations

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board has scheduled a meeting to consider whether OSHA's responses to some of the board's recommendations have been "unacceptable," and to launch its Most Wanted Chemical Safety Improvements Program.




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NIOSH: ‘Fracking’ exposes workers to silica

Falls Church, VA – Oil and gas workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica during directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations, a new NIOSH study concludes.




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New letters of interpretation clarify info in hazcom rule

Washington – OSHA recently published four letters of interpretation regarding its revised Hazard Communication Standard.




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CSB report renews call for a combustible dust standard

Charleston, WV – A number of combustible dust-related incidents, injuries and deaths over the past decade might have been prevented had OSHA promulgated a standard covering the hazard, according to a Chemical Safety Board report released July 16.




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Dust explosion in China illustrates need for OSHA standard, CSB chief says

Washington – A deadly metal dust explosion in China offers a fresh reminder of combustible dust hazards, which the United States should address through an OSHA standard, Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said in a statement released Aug. 5.




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CSB renews call for combustible dust standard

The Chemical Safety Board has reiterated its call for OSHA to promulgate a comprehensive combustible dust standard.




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OSHA releases fact sheets on combustible dust, farm emergencies

Washington – Two new fact sheets from OSHA provide information intended to protect workers from combustible dust explosion hazards and agricultural emergencies.




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Combustible dust still ‘critical issue in industrial safety’: CSB

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is reiterating its call for OSHA to enact a comprehensive general industry standard for combustible dust – a potential hazard the board calls a “critical issue in industrial safety.”




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CSB to stakeholders: Tell us why efforts to control combustible dust aren’t working

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is seeking to better understand why efforts to manage and control combustible dust hazards “have often failed” to prevent explosions.




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New method of detecting combustible dust uses real-time imaging

West Lafayette, IN — Using newly developed algorithms, researchers from Purdue University have designed an image- and video-based application to detect combustible dust concentrations suspended in the air.




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‘Multiple perspectives’: CSB releases first ‘learning review’ on combustible dust

Washington — Managing and controlling combustible dust should be considered a unique hazard – not simply “tidying up the place,” the Chemical Safety Board says in a recently released learning review document that includes input from workers and industry stakeholders.




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Annual brake inspection blitz places about 1 out of 8 commercial vehicles out of service

Greenbelt, MD — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors across North America conducted 35,764 brake system inspections and identified 4,295 vehicles – or 12% – with out-of-service conditions during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week, the organization announced recently.




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Annual ‘Roadcheck’ to focus on truck and bus wheel ends

Greenbelt, MD — Inspectors across North America will examine braking systems, lights, tires and other commercial motor vehicle components May 17-19 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual International Roadcheck.




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OSHA temporary enforcement effort targeting health care facilities with COVID-19 patients

Washington — OSHA recently announced the start of a three-month increase of inspections at hospitals and nursing care facilities that treat COVID-19 patients.




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New OSHA enforcement program targets Form 300A scofflaws

Washington — OSHA will begin identifying and citing workplaces that haven’t complied with the agency’s requirement to submit Form 300A – an annual summary of worker injury and illness data, under a newly adopted enforcement program.




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Operation Safe Driver Week set for July 10-16

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officials will keep an extra-close eye out for commercial and passenger vehicle drivers who are distracted behind the wheel during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week, scheduled for July 10-16.




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OIG to OSHA: Plan for better collaboration with other agencies during health and safety crises

Washington — Understaffed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA “lost a valuable opportunity” to better protect workers by “not identifying federal partners in a position to assist during a large-scale safety and health crisis,” concludes a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General audit report released March 31.




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Chemical Safety Board calls for stronger standards on reactive chemicals

Washington — “It is past time for regulators to fully recognize the hazards presented by reactive chemicals,” Katherine Lemos, chair and CEO of the Chemical Safety Board, says in a new video in which the agency calls on OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen their standards on these substances.




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Appeals court upholds fine for mine worker’s inspection tip-off

Cincinnati — The 6th U.S. Court of Appeals on May 11 ruled unanimously to uphold a citation against a Muhlenberg County, KY, coal mine for violating the Mine Safety and Health Act by providing underground mine workers with advance notice of a Mine Safety and Health Administration inspection.




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MSHA enforcement effort focused on protecting workers from silica

Arlington, VA — As the Mine Safety and Health Administration works to develop a standard on worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica, the agency has launched an enforcement initiative aimed at boosting protections against the hazardous material.




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Annual truck and bus brake inspection blitz set for Aug. 21-27

Greenbelt, MD — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors throughout North America will conduct announced and unannounced brake system inspections Aug. 21-27 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week.




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Brake Safety Day: Unannounced inspections park nearly 1,300 unsafe trucks and buses

Greenbelt, MD — A recent, unannounced inspection blitz of trucks and buses resulted in 14.1% of those checked being placed out of service for brake-related violations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced June 22.




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Fall-related deaths and injuries in construction spur OSHA weekend inspection initiative

Denver — Deaths and serious injuries resulting from falls in the construction industry in recent years have prompted OSHA to launch an initiative to inspect worksites across Colorado’s Front Range, Montana and South Dakota on weekends, “when many employers typically do not monitor their jobsites well.”




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Chemical Safety Board vows to increase transparency amid leadership changes

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board says it will resume providing updates on incident investigations to “provide important initial information” on agency developments.




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Annual ‘Roadcheck’ identifies out-of-service violations for vehicles, drivers

Greenbelt, MD — From May 17 to 19, inspectors across North America checked braking systems, lights, tires and other commercial motor vehicle equipment during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 35th annual International Roadcheck.




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CVSA releases results of annual truck and bus brake inspection blitz

Greenbelt, MD — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors across North America conducted 38,117 brake system inspections and identified 5,059 vehicles – or 13.3% – with out-of-service conditions during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week, the organization announced recently.




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Speeding tops list of most cited violations during Operation Safe Driver Week

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officials issued more than 26,000 citations and warnings to passenger-vehicle, truck and bus drivers during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week.




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Chemical Safety Board calls on OSHA to provide guidance on process hazard analysis

Washington — OSHA should develop guidance on the process hazard analysis element of its standard on process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals (1910.119), the Chemical Safety Board recommends in a final report on an April 2018 explosion and fire at a Wisconsin refinery.




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Annual ‘Roadcheck’ set for May 16-18

Greenbelt, MD — Inspectors across North America will examine braking systems, lights, tires, and other commercial truck and bus components May 16-18 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 36th annual International Roadcheck.




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Construction worker deaths prompt winter safety campaign in NYC

New York — In response to the recent deaths of four New York City construction employees in separate workplace incidents, the NYC Department of Buildings has launched a winter construction safety campaign.




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New OSHA enforcement guidance targets employers who prioritize profit over safety

Washington — Safety scofflaws may face increased citations and penalties under an OSHA policy set to go into effect in March.




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Chemical Safety Board warns of emergency discharges from pressure release valves

Washington — A look at four incidents – some deadly – involving emergency discharges from pressure release valves has prompted the Chemical Safety Board to issue a safety alert.




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OSHA disagrees with many findings in recent DOL OIG audit report

Washington — OSHA’s Field Operations Manual needs an update so the agency can “better address complaints and referrals,” the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General says.




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MSHA inspection blitz finds violations at 25 mines

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration uncovered hundreds of violations at mines with concerning compliance histories during recent impact inspections.




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OSHA emphasis program targets fall hazards

Washington — OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program aimed at reducing and preventing falls in all industries.




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Ready for a safety walkaround?

Conducting regular safety walkarounds can bring big benefits. We’ve got five tips for making yours effective.




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Brake inspection blitz takes unsafe trucks and buses off the road

Greenbelt, MD — Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspectors placed 11.3% of the trucks and buses they examined out of service for brake-related violations during a recent, unannounced inspection initiative.




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On the Safe Side podcast Episode 40: Eye/face protection and safety walkarounds

In Episode 40, the S+H team examines the June issue’s feature story on eye and face protection. Also, Tarah Kile, director of Michigan OSHA’s Consultation, Education and Training Division, discusses safety walkarounds in the “5 Questions With …” segment.




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Operation Safe Driver Week to kick off July 9

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officials will target speeding and other unsafe driving behaviors July 9-15 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week.




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Citing agent safety, IRS ends unannounced visits

Washington — Internal Revenue Service personnel will no longer make unannounced visits to businesses or households, except in certain circumstances.




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Annual ‘Roadcheck’ spotlights out-of-service vehicle and driver violations

Greenbelt, MD — The results of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 36th annual International Roadcheck are in.




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OSHA extends comment period for proposed rule on walkaround representation

Washington — OSHA has pushed to Nov. 13 the deadline for comment on its proposal to allow workers to designate someone who doesn’t work for their employer to represent them during OSHA “walkaround” inspections.




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Speeding tops list of ticketed violations during Operation Safe Driver Week

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officials issued more than 10,000 citations and warnings combined to passenger-vehicle, truck and bus drivers during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week.




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OSHA final rule on worker walkaround representation under White House review

Washington — OSHA’s rule on worker walkaround representation is undergoing a final review, according to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website.




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Annual truck and bus ‘Roadcheck’ set for May 14-16

Greenbelt, MD — Inspectors across North America will examine braking systems, lights, tires, and other commercial truck and bus equipment during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 37th annual International Roadcheck.




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OSHA set to publish final rule on worker walkaround representation

Washington — OSHA’s final rule on worker walkaround representation is set to go into effect May 31.




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‘Dangerous driving’ is the focus of Operation Safe Driver Week

Greenbelt, MD — Law enforcement officers will have an eye out for reckless, careless or dangerous driving July 7-13 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week.