A Pennsylvania company willfully exposed its workers to confined space and fall hazards, according to OSHA, which has assessed US Environmental Inc. proposed penalties of $333,756 for a dozen safety violations. The Downingtown company is an integrated industrial energy services firm that serves the energy, petroleum, natural gas, petro-chemical, power, chemical, manufacturing and engineering sectors. Investigators inspected the facility on May 31, 2017, and found that the company failed to implement rescue procedures for employees in confined spaces; provide protective equipment when working in confined spaces; and provide employees with fall protection training and equipment.

A research team from the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) today released a report that concludes that drones that collide with large manned aircraft can cause more structural damage than birds of the same weight for a given impact speed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will use the research results to help develop operational and collision risk mitigation requirements for drones. ASSURE conducted its research with two different types of drones on two types of aircraft through computer modeling and physical validation testing.

Changes to school meals proposed this week by the Trump administration are getting praised by school nutritionists and slammed by health experts. Among other things, the interim final rule released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allows schools to avoid reducing sodium levels in breakfasts and lunches – a mandate introduced by former President Barack Obama. Sodium reduction was to take place in stages through the year 2022.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is seeking a new Executive Director (ED), a position based in Park Ridge, Illinois and one that reports to the organization’s President and its Board of Directors. Founded in 1911, ASSE has a global membership of more than 36,000 safety, health and environmental practitioners worldwide. ASSE advocates on behalf of its members while also providing robust professional development, training and networking opportunities. ASSE has an annual budget of approximately $18M, staff of 75, and operates a robust network of 152 chapters in the United States and internationally.

OSHA and Marshall Pottery, Inc. in Marshall, Texas have reached a settlement agreement including a penalty of $545,160, after the death of an assistant plant manager. On April 16, 2017, investigators determined that the manager was servicing a kiln and became trapped inside when it activated.

A traffic accident in Brooklyn, New York last week took the life of a young worker and forever changed that of the driver who killed him. News sources reported that 14-year-old Edwin Ajacalon, who was making restaurant deliveries on his bicycle, was struck by a car and killed on Saturday evening.

Anti-smoking groups, frustrated by federal inaction on restricting menthol cigarettes, are taking matters into their own hands. In recent months, cities ranging from Oakland and Los Gatos, Calif., to Minneapolis and St. Paul have passed laws limiting the availability of menthol cigarettes, which health advocates say have a particular appeal to beginning smokers. St. Paul is the latest, voting this month to restrict sales to adult-only tobacco and liquor stores.

The CDC is inviting Americans to take a look at their usual holiday activities to see if they can be made more “sustainable,” that is – if they can use environmental resources more responsibly so that future generations will have enough to meet their needs. Sounds like a daunting task, but if you reuse and recycle; compost; walk, bike, take mass transit, or drive low-emission vehicles; or conserve water and electricity, you’re already having a positive effect on the planet.