Washington — Proposed legislation that would ease access to health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease is advancing in the House.

Arlington, VA — In response to a number of fatalities and serious injuries involving miners working near highwalls in recent years, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert on the associated hazards.

Arlington, VA — The “collective effort” of mine industry workers and stakeholders in 2022 contributed to a 21.6% decrease in worker deaths over the previous year, Mine Safety and Health Administration head Chris Williamson said during a recent conference call.

Washington — A new software training module from NIOSH is intended to assist mine operators, miners and industry stakeholders with emergency decision-making during coal mine rescues.

As we look ahead to the coming year, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the learning moments of 2017 ― the areas where the security industry learned, grew and shifted thinking to better provide products and solutions for buildings of all types, across all industries.

Customers never have to come home to a dark house when the lighting is turned on by this wireless controller.Widely perceived as a residential crime deterrent, lighting is a natural

The Israel Nature & Parks Authority (INPA) is using PowerG™ technology from Visonic Ltd., Tel-Aviv, Israel, a developer and manufacturer of wireless home security and safety systems and components, to enable research that will help protect the griffon vulture population in Israel.

360 State Street, New Haven, Conn. — the state’s greenest and largest residential development — is the first new major residential construction in New Haven in more than 15 years. 

The Siemens Building Technologies Division’s Beltsville, Md. branch office was recently awarded LEED® for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EB: OM) certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, the National Audubon Society’s Starr Ranch Sanctuary rolls across 4,000 acres. SoCal’s sprawling development is not far from the sanctuary borders, reminding everyone of the critical need to balance development with open spaces.

Honeywell, Melville, N.Y.,announced that the Pro-Watch Integration Kit has been successfully deployed to protect the largest complex of the federal justice system in Mexico.

Brent Street runs through a diverse, tree-lined neighborhood in Dorchester, Mass. At 81 Brent Street stands a three-story, traditional New England home. However, its basic design is the only traditional thing about the home, which is adorned with 30 solar panels on its roof, native and drought-tolerant plants and trees in its yard, and a home automation system fit for the Jetson’s.

Panasonic in partnership with the Seattle Mariners announced the installation of a solar panel system comprised of 168 Panasonic HIT® Double solar panels at Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners' home ballpark.

The University of Minnesota’s UMore Park wind energy research site in Rosemount, Minn. is not a typical security installation. In fact, security is only secondary to the needs of this project. Yet, Tom Fuxa, director of sales for Plymouth, Minn.-based Paragon Solutions Group Inc., saw an opportunity to apply security technology to this unique project.

The Johnson Controls headquarters campus at Glendale, Wisconsin has the largest concentration of buildings on one campus to ever receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), a living laboratory for researchers to teach, test and study the long-term impact of sustainable practices and technologies, features advanced building controls, sensing technology and management software from Honeywell.

With a nearly 10,000-foot perimeter to secure at its newly constructed solar farm in the Midwest, an independent power producer turned to SmarterFence and SmarterBeam solutions from SmarterSecurity Inc. Systems integrator MidCo Inc. took on the task of installing the solutions to help secure the owner’s investment and operations from intruders to allow the site to be routinely unmanned.

While most people like the idea of conserving energy and going green, moving from theory to practice in their daily lives requires more than just a philosophy. “Everybody likes being green if it’s not too much work,” explains Gene Jordan, president of Advanced Security Engineering, an Alarm.com dealer located in Pleasanton, Calif.

The Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter partnered with CoastalCOMS to install digital cameras networked with Milestone XProtect® Corporate to monitor wave breaks and sand lines.

When a large aerospace manufacturer acquired gas detectors to protect against hazardous leaks, it decided to leverage its Metis Secure Emergency Notification and Communications System.

After experiencing an increase in crime, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, Trinidad, home to more than 39,000 grad and undergrad students, was in the market for a professional grade CCTV surveillance system to improve the security of its students and assets.

Many integrators have already discovered that adding home energy management features to residential systems provides opportunities for additional sales and recurring monthly revenue (RMR).

For Thomas Marino, president of Advanced Technologies, Baton Rouge, La., “green” projects were nothing new. He had done projects that involved low-power, solar or other green elements. But when he ran into local attorney Joe Simmons at a trade show, the extremely environmentally conscious lawyer asked him to do the security and home automation for the custom home he was building. The home was new construction in a community of older homes and would feature as many green elements as possible, from the material in the countertops to the security and audio elements.

The intelligent building automation technologies market is anticipated to reach more than $118.7 billion by 2026, according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. 

Cleveland – Health care workers frequently contaminate their skin and clothing when removing gloves or gowns, and researchers from the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center are recommending additional education and redesigned personal protective equipment.

Springfield, IL — New guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health is intended to help staffing agencies and employers protect temporary workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Detroit – Night-shift workers who experience insomnia but report low levels of sleepiness have higher levels of cognitive impairment than those with insomnia who say they experience “excessive” sleepiness, according to a recent study from the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital.

Washington – NIOSH is offering a free online training program to help educate nurses and supervisors about reducing the health and safety risks of shift work and long hours.

Madison, WI – Shift workers may be more likely to be overweight, have sleep problems, and develop diabetes or other metabolic disorders, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Kuopio, Finland – Longer breaks between shifts can help nurses bounce back from the demands of work, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland.

Pittsburgh – Emergency medical services workers whose shifts last longer than 12 hours have double the risk of an occupational injury or illness, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh.

Guildford, England – Women are more likely than men to be affected by the adverse ramifications of shift work, a new study out of England suggests.

Uppsala, Sweden – A study of current and former shift workers shows that shift work may contribute to cognitive difficulties that take years to recover from, according to researchers at Uppsala University and Malmö University.

Wuhan, China – Male night-shift workers who do not nap during the day or have worked the night shift for more than 20 years – as well as those who average more than 10 hours of sleep per night – may have a greater risk of developing cancer, according to a study from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Boston – Women whose jobs require heavy lifting or shift work may experience decreased fertility levels, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Chicago – Medical residents and fellows, including first-year residents, will be allowed to work for up to 28 consecutive hours without sleep as part of revised requirements recently approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Boston – Women who work the night shift as young adults may have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of nurses conducted by the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

L’Aquila, Italy — A recently released study has linked sleep disorders and burnout to certain aspects of shift work among nurses.

Spokane, WA — Individual organs in the digestive system contain separate biological clocks that may influence the metabolism of people who work the night shift and help explain a link to shift worker health problems such as obesity and diabetes, a recent study from researchers at Washington State University suggests.

Uppsala, Sweden — Losing sleep, even for one night, can negatively impact metabolism and help trigger excess weight gain – possibly explaining a link between sleep deprivation and shift worker health problems – according to the results of a recent study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University.

Vallejo, CA — Citing multiple studies that suggest shift workers are at increased risk of developing sleep disorders and metabolic syndrome – raising their chances for heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes – a recent analysis led by a researcher from the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine concludes with actions both employers and workers can take to help improve shift worker health.

Corvallis, OR — For construction workers, “the chance of getting injured or getting more severe injuries are related to the hours of your work,” a researcher from Oregon State University says.

Darien, IL — In an effort to balance “the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks” related to shift work, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society have issued guidance on designing optimal work shift durations.

Shanghai — Night shift workers may be at increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation – an abnormal heart rhythm that can trigger serious health issues – as well as coronary heart disease, according to a recent study led by researchers at Jiao Tong University and Tulane University.

Toronto — Researchers at York University say they’ve found a link between women who perform shift work and delayed onset of natural menopause.

College Station, TX — Adverse health effects of shift work – including increased risk of stroke – may persist even after workers resume traditional, 24-hour circadian cycles, according to a recent study by researchers from Texas A&M University.

San Diego — Eating within set times while not skipping meals can reduce the cardiovascular health risks of firefighters and other shift workers, results of a recent study show.

Toronto — Middle-aged and older shift workers are more likely to be considered frail – particularly women who work rotating shifts, a recent study out of Canada suggests.

Chicago — If you’re unable to get more than six hours of sleep a night in the week before and after getting a vaccine, researchers say its effectiveness may be reduced – something shift workers should keep in mind.