Today's Safety News

RSS

An Alaska floatplane company has suspended its operations, after its planes were involved in two fatal crashes in one week. The pilot and a passenger of a Taquan Air plane died Monday afternoon when the plane crashed in Metlakatla Harbor, south of Ketchikan.

New York City continued its string of construction industry fatalities on Saturday, when a 49-year-old worker fell 30 feet to his death at a Madison Avenue worksite. The city’s Department of Buildings issued a full stop-work order for the site after the incident, which occurred shortly before noon.

They tend to happen more on Mondays. They can occur in an instant. And trench deaths kill about 25 workers a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). About 75 percent of those deaths are due to cave-ins, which are largely preventable through cave-in protection and soil analysis. The remainder are mainly caused by struck-bys or electrocutions – also largely preventable.

OSHA wants to hear from employers about how they’ve been using control circuit-type devices to isolate energy and about evolving technology for robotics. The information request is for a possible update of the agency’s Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard.

The driver of a Tesla Model 3 involved in a fatal crash in Florida in March engaged the vehicle’s Autopilot1 system about 10 seconds before it collided with a truck – but did not have his hands on the steering wheel. That puzzling finding is part of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into the incident. So is the fact that neither the driver of the Tesla nor the Autopilot system – otherwise known as an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) executed evasive maneuvers, according to preliminary data and videos.

Anger may be more harmful to an older person’s physical health than sadness, potentially increasing inflammation, which is associated with such chronic illnesses as heart disease, arthritis and cancer, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

OSHA has issued a final rule that revises 14 provisions in the recordkeeping, general industry, maritime, and construction standards that may be confusing, outdated, or unnecessary. The revisions are expected to increase understanding and compliance with the provisions, improve employee safety and health, and save employers an estimated $6.1 million per year.

Detecting drones near airports is one thing. Taking them out is another, prohibited, thing. That’s the message the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is communicating to U.S. airports who, frustrated by the incursion of drones into their airspace, are or are considering installing devices which could detect the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).