Sacramento, CA – The California Department of Industrial Relations and the California Environmental Protection Agency have approved final regulations intended to improve hazard prevention and management at the state’s 15 oil refineries.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued a proposed rule intended to “reduce certain unnecessary regulatory burdens” that exist under the Production Systems Safety Rule “while correcting errors and clarifying current requirements,” according to a notice published in the Dec. 29 Federal Register.

Port Fourchon, LA — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s rollback of certain provisions of a rule intended to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig disaster will maintain safety and environmental protections, the agency claims, as advocacy groups announce their intention to fight the move.

Washington — Via its Gulf Research Program, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has awarded eight grants totaling nearly $7.3 million to projects aimed at enhancing safety culture in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has “continued to fulfill its mission” during the COVID-19 pandemic by performing safety and environmental inspections for offshore oil and gas operations, the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General concludes in a report issued Sept. 21.

Washington — Approximately 18,000 miles of decommissioned oil and gas pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico pose safety and environmental risks, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Washington — In response to the death of a drillship worker who lacked formal training on using a hydraulic torque wrench, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued a safety alert.

A 27-year-old emergency medical technician was killed when the ambulance she was riding in struck an elevated train track support beam. The victim worked for an independent ambu-lance service that had been operating for 45 years

Zenitel said it is excited to participate in the Audio Streaming Profile Working Group that will define an ONVIF profile for the interfaces and communications mechanisms for configuring and integrating audio speakers and intercom devices.

Louisville, KY – To mark the one-year anniversary of a plane crash that killed two UPS pilots, the Independent Pilots Association has renewed calls to address fatigue.

Washington – Manufacturers of new transport airplanes must show proof that the aircraft can safely fly in freezing drizzle or freezing rain, under a final rule issued Nov. 4 by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Washington – A final rule regarding safety regulations for helicopter air ambulances will go into effect April 22, 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced.

Washington – Cargo pilots would receive the same legal protections against fatigued flying as passenger aircraft pilots under legislation recently introduced in the Senate.

Washington – A group of senators has proposed new legislation that would require commercial airlines to carry epinephrine auto-injectors to help protect passengers with severe allergies.

Washington — The Department of Transportation intends to seek comment on separate advance notices of proposed rulemaking on the safe operation and integration of drones, including a measure that would allow civilians to operate drones at night and over populated areas without a waiver, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced Jan. 14.

Washington — The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a proposed rule that would allow civilians to operate drones at night and over populated areas without a waiver, amending current regulations that prohibit such activities.

Washington — A coalition of 10 aviation industry groups led by Airlines for America, a trade association of U.S. passenger and cargo carriers, is requesting that the Department of Justice “commit to the full and public prosecution of onboard acts of violence” by passengers against airline employees.

Washington — People who’ve been convicted of assaulting airline employees would be prohibited from boarding commercial aircraft, under bipartisan legislation introduced April 6 in the House and Senate.

Washington — A final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will regulate the transport of lithium-ion batteries shipped by air.

The New York State Department of Transportation's website offers work zone awareness training tools.

Kids: See how well you know the different kinds of helmets. Take the interactive quiz.

Vienna, VA — Motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. employers up to $47.4 billion annually in direct expenses, according to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, which has developed a calculator to help organizations determine their own costs.

Washington — President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Julie Su for labor secretary.

Washington — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has approved Julie Su’s nomination for labor secretary, in an 11-10 party-line vote.

Washington — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has announced his opposition to Julie Su’s nomination for labor secretary.

Soborg, Denmark — About half of employees are hesitant to share their thoughts and opinions freely at work, and many say they’ve been treated unfairly, results of a recent survey show.

A government shutdown would limit OSHA inspections to “life and property,” and a new initiative on respirable crystalline silica wouldn’t “get off the ground,” agency administrator Doug Parker said Sept. 27.

Washington — President Joe Biden has renominated Julie Su for labor secretary, but Su’s path to confirmation remains murky.

Addison, TX — Nearly half of workers in a recent survey say they’d take a pay cut to work for an employer with a better safety culture.

Washington — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved Julie Su’s nomination for labor secretary for a second time, with an 11-10 party-line vote on Feb. 27.

Washington – OSHA has announced it will issue a proposed rule to revise the agency’s standards on occupational exposure to crystalline silica.

Washington – OSHA’s current rule on silica is based on obsolete analytical data, and exposure at the current permissible exposure limit results in “significant risks of death” from cancer and other diseases, the agency said during a Jan. 14 webchat that discussed proposed updates to the rule.

Download KPA's guide to get: An overview of the HazCom standard’s requirements; six key steps to hazard communication; and a checklist for hazard communication compliance.

Washington – A new final rule from OSHA expands the exemption for digger-derrick operations in the Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard.

Washington – Stakeholders are invited to participate in an informal OSHA hearing on May 19 in Washington to discuss a proposal to extend the compliance date for crane operator certification requirements.

Washington – OSHA is delaying by three years its certification requirements for crane operators, the agency announced in a final rule published Sept. 25.

Washington — OSHA is moving to finalize changes to its crane operator certification requirements, according to a proposed rule published in the May 21 Federal Register.

Washington — OSHA is giving stakeholders until July 5 to comment on its proposed rule for crane operator certification requirements, the agency announced June 15.

Washington — As part of a settlement agreement, OSHA has issued a proposed rule that would grant exemptions to its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard for work on or along railroad tracks.

Washington — The Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for fall 2018, released Oct. 17, contains few changes for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Fairfax, VA — Virtual reality could provide a reliable measure in predicting a candidate’s ability to pass a crane certification exam, results of a recent study published by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators indicate.

Gaithersburg, MD — Using an equation they derived while studying the “motion of a so-called torsional pendulum,” researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have found a “surprising link” between the equation and the work of crane operators on construction sites.

Salem, OR — In response to “the extraordinary hazards that have been exacerbated by climate change,” Oregon OSHA has adopted a pair of emergency temporary rules that increase worker protections against wildfire smoke and high heat in employer-provided housing.

Washington — OSHA has warned Arizona, South Carolina and Utah to adopt their own version of the agency’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 for health care workers or face possible revocation of their State Plan status, according to multiple reports.

Sacramento, CA — Additional revisions to California’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 have been adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, to include the California Department of Public Health’s latest recommendations for reducing the spread of the disease.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is seeking public comment on proposed rules that would increase worker protections against extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the strongest such protections in the nation.”

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has adopted permanent rules intended to safeguard workers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the most protective of their kind in the United States.”

Sacramento, CA — California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has voted to adopt non-emergency COVID-19 prevention regulations.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is encouraging all employers and workers in the state to recognize their “successes in cultivating safe and healthy workplaces” during the agency’s 21st annual Safety Break for Oregon.

Hunt Valley, MD — Maryland is the latest state to adopt a standard on heat illness prevention.