A new proposal released by the EPA yesterday would reduce the frequency of methane leak inspections required of oil and gas companies, and give those companies more time to fix leaks when they find them – changes the agency admits could harm public health. The move is the Trump administration’s latest effort to relax Obama-era regulations intended to combat climate change.

Distinct Infrastructure Group Inc. (DIG) recently announced that it has been recognized by the Utility Contractors Association of Ontario (UCA) with the Association's 2018 Safety Performance Award. Each year the UCA recognizes contractors who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to safety and achieved outstanding safety results. This year DIG was recognized in the category of contractors with over 250,000 hours of work performed.

An electrical contractor recently celebrated reaching the milestone of one-million safe working hours. Wayland, Michigan-based Windemuller said in August, 2018 it hit the mark without any recordable OSHA injuries as of July. The company’s streak started in May 2016.

Three University of Idaho graduates have developed a safety device that utility workers clip onto their hard hats. It beeps and flashes when workers approach a high-voltage electrical source, reducing the risk of electrocution.

A decade-old standard developed to help companies with risk management has been revised and adopted as a U.S. national standard. The new version reflects the evolution of risk management from a separate, departmentalized activity to an integrated management competency.

Employees who feel able to speak openly about their depression with their managers are more productive at work than employees whose managers avoid talking to them about their condition, says new research from the Personal Social Services Research Unit of the London School of Economics (LSE).

A pilot who mistaken lined up with a taxiway instead of a runway nearly caused his or her small plane to collide with four passenger jets that were on the taxiway, according to a preliminary report on the incident by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Lifestyle changes – like eating healthier and exercising – can reduce the need for antihypertensive medications, and they can do it pretty quickly, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Hypertension 2018 Scientific Sessions. Study participants with high blood pressure saw significant improvement within 16 weeks after making lifestyle changes. Such changes are the first step in reducing blood pressure according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Hypertension Guideline.

A shortage of skilled workers is the number one factor affecting jobsite safety, according to a report by the Q3 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (Index). The report revealed a widespread concern among commercial construction businesses about anticipated labor shortages over the next three years, with 88 percent of contractors expecting to feel at least a moderate impact from the workforce shortages in the next three years.

The recent spate of celebrity suicides – Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, Robin Williams – is the tip of a very large iceberg, according to data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which found that in 2014, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.