IOC presidential candidate Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. has urged European lawmakers to regard investing in sport as a public health policy in his first keynote speech of a six-month Olympic leadership campaign.

Olympic silver medalist race walker Koki Ikeda of Japan has been provisionally banned for suspected blood doping, track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit said on Friday.

The European Commission adopted a new strategy for encouraging the use of green infrastructure, and for ensuring that the enhancement of natural processes becomes a systematic part of spatial planning. Green Infrastructure is a tried and tested tool that uses nature to provide ecological, economic and social benefits. Instead of building flood protection infrastructure, for example, a green infrastructure solution would be to allow a natural wetland to absorb the excess water from heavy rain.

Green infrastructure is often cheaper and more durable than alternatives provided through conventional civil engineering. Biodiversity-rich parks, green spaces and fresh air corridors can for example mitigate the negative effects of summer heat waves. In addition to the health and environmental benefits, green infrastructure also brings multiple social benefits: it creates jobs and makes cities more appealing places to live and work. And it allows for wildlife to thrive, even in an urban context.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "Building green infrastructure is often a good investment for nature, for the economy and for jobs. We should provide society with solutions that work with nature instead of against it, where that makes economic and environmental sense."

More about the EC Green Infrastructure here: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/index_en.htm

The European Commission has recently released publication focused on Earth Observation Research and EU BON is one of the successful projects featured in it. 

The publication titled "Investing in European success – A Decade of Success in Earth Observation Research and Innovation" looks at the benefits that Earth Observation brings to studying and protecting the environment.

The Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and landscapes are changing rapidly, with human activities being a major driver. Monitoring and modelling these changes are critical because they allow governments, society and the private sector to make informed decisions about climate, energy, food security, natural hazards, health and other societal challenges. To be effective, these responses must be grounded in comprehensive and timely information. More importantly, decision makers, managers and experts must have access to the information they need, when they need it and in a format which can be easily utilised.

To address this challenge, the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has provided a voluntary framework since 2005 where 98 governments, the European Commission and 87 international organisations develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments in the field of Earth observation. The vision of GEO is to realise a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information. GEO’s main objective is to develop and implement the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). 

EU BON is an attempt to overcome these problems at European level and to contribute to the Group on Earth Observations’ (GEO) global initiative with the same aims – GEO BON.

Find the full publication here, EU BON can be found featured on pages 26 - 27.

Some students of color at Stoughton High School were among those who received such messages, according to a statement from Stoughton Public Schools.

The post Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms, prompt investigations in Mass. and other states appeared first on Boston.com.

Cement production and processes emit over 5 percent of all carbon dioxide emitted by human activity. Reducing that environmental impact is a high priority among cement producers. Cement producers are now publishing their Environmental, Social and Governance credentials concerning energy use in their operations, greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.

O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC, a family office that invests in ambitious seed and pre-seed startups, announced Feb. 2 that it has invested in Furno Materials Inc.

GMS Inc. announced Aug. 21 that it will participate in upcoming investor conferences.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also announced an increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions and a huge rise in health spending

The new initiative was announced by the government in the Budget today

What environmental, health and safety processes can integrate with the “incidents application” to reduce the number of an organization’s incidents quickly and effectively?

Once you’ve finished an incident investigation, how do you use investigation data to prevent similar incidents from occurring again?

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board released a set of recommendations Sept. 18 after its investigation into last year’s ExxonMobil refinery fire, which severely burned four workers in Baton Rouge, LA.

Washington – Contending that it lacks proper regulatory authority, the Chemical Safety Board on Nov. 14 voted to withdraw its recommendations issued to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement after its investigation into the April 2010 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Philadelphia – In a rare criminal prosecution for a workplace fatality, the Department of Justice has charged a roofing company owner with attempting to cover up his failure to provide fall protection for a worker who fell 45 feet to his death.

Open Options, a provider of access control solutions, has released the DNA Fusion recertification course.  

Washington — Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) is urging OSHA to investigate reported workplace safety violations at the Sanderson Farms poultry plant in Bryan, TX.

Don’t spend all your time focusing on the single-family residential sector. You should be including a strategy to capitalize on the multifamily housing trend. 

How can I get my CEO’s buy-in for a safety software program?

How do I win over the IT department when investing in new safety software?

In Episode 30, the S+H editorial team dives into the August issue’s feature story on effective incident investigations, and discusses the legal issues surrounding impairment in the workplace.

Current initiatives aim to improve the Snap One's cloud infrastructure to support the growth of remote monitoring, ensure all backend systems are scalable for the future, resolve bugs, maintain and expand interoperability, and develop new features and experiences.

This integration enables users to move seamlessly from incident response to investigation from within a single interface.

This white paper provides a comprehensive overview of global workplace incident trends, focusing on the top three biases leading to such incidents.

This white paper uses a recent real-world occupational fatality investigation to help you transform the way you conduct workplace incident investigations.

Washington — Facilities that produce or handle hazardous chemicals should prepare written procedures and establish policies for evaluating simultaneous operations to ensure “robust safe work practices,” the Chemical Safety Board says.

Washington — Facilities that handle flammable gases and other hazardous materials should ensure their workers and supervisors undergo process safety management and emergency response training, the Chemical Safety Board says.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board says it’s on track to clear its investigation backlog by the end of the year, with a growing staff focused on “moving the CSB forward.”

To leverage its geo-diverse redundancy, COPS Monitoring will deploy two identical NetApp SANs in its New Jersey and Texas facilities.

Washington — A pair of House Democrats are requesting a Department of Labor investigation into potential risks of child labor and occupational safety and health violations in youth workforce programs.

Washington — OSHA will soon be able to issue certifications in support of T and U nonimmigrant status visas, a move the agency contends will aid in some workplace safety investigations.

How can safety professionals improve executive buy-in for investments in their organization’s safety programs?

Washington — OSHA conducted fewer fatality investigations this past fiscal year than in FY 2023, and recorded fewer deaths involving trench collapses and falls – two hazards on which the agency has focused its enforcement resources.

Washington — Chemical facilities should be confirming that equipment can function within the safe operating limits documented in process safety guidance while ensuring quality during all situations – including emergencies, the Chemical Safety Board says.

Washington — A long-standing Chemical Safety Board concern is no more: The agency has cleared its backlog of open investigations and incident reports.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is “very determined” to avoid an investigation backlog similar to the one it recently cleared, board Chair Steve Owens said during the agency’s first public business meeting of 2024.

Washington — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a series of recommendations to several entities in a new report on the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Washington — Night or shift workers who don’t get sufficient rest may be unfit to reliably gauge their own fatigue level because of a diminished ability to detect “when their performance is declining.”

The Firmament Group, a provider of tailored debt and equity capital solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced an investment in Citrus Extracts, LLC.

The new manufacturing facility will produce Asian-style foods, primarily for Schwan's #1 Korean food brand bibigo, using state-of-the-art automated production lines. 

Sperri, a Halifax-based company, is at the forefront of disrupting the food and beverage industry, driven by the philosophy that food is medicine. 

Farbest is already known for its robust portfolio of plant and dairy proteins, gums, natural colors, sweeteners, and more to meet customer needs.

Jungbunzlauer announced the groundbreaking for the first stage of this multi-year project, which is supported by $4.8 million from the Invest Ontario Fund.

The new production site further strengthens the company’s plant-based protein portfolio and enables BENEO to meet the growing demand for plant-based food and feed ingredients.

The 75th annual report surveyed food retailers’ and suppliers’ 2023 developments and expectations for the year ahead, finding that while the industry made key strides in addressing longstanding labor and transportation capacity issues, inflation and other financial hurdles caused industry profit margins to fall to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

The industry is preparing for 2025 with a focus on improving installation processes and attracting new talent. Initiatives include Mohawk's CFI certification for product development teams, IFC's partnership with FCEF for workforce development, and various educational programs. 

Known for its indulgent, low-sugar, high-protein refrigerated donut offerings, Drumroll® has gained a dedicated following among health-conscious consumers looking to satisfy their sweet tooth cravings without compromising on taste or nutrition.

Frank Chiera, senior VP of marketing and advertising, CCA Global Partners, and Terri Daniels, VP of public relations, offer guidance on marketing strategy for flooring retailers in 2024. 

FDA has initiated an onsite inspection at the Austrofoods facility located in Ecuador.