News from the Safety Industry

March 15, 2019 U.S. Department of Labor Signs Alliance with North Dakota Oil and Gas Industry Group to Promote Workplace Safety in Oil Fields

Three investigators with expertise in recorders, flight crew operations, and human factors have been sent to France to assist with the downloading and analysis of flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed March 10 shortly after takeoff from the airport in Addis Ababa.

An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the division on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the individual person or entity that requested the letter. The requesting parties' names are not included in the letters to protect their privacy.

The recall now affects about 78,500 units beyond the 50,000 that were recalled in the United States in January 2018. The recall expansion involves lithium-ion batteries for HP commercial notebook computers and mobile workstations that were sold to businesses and other organizations. The batteries can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.

The 18-page document was developed by the NORA Public Safety Council and outlines research work that should be done in eight focus areas in order to promote safety and health for people working in public safety.

The participating automakers voluntarily committed by Sept. 1, 2022, to equip virtually all new light-duty cars and trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 8,500 pounds or less with a low-speed AEB system that includes forward collision warning and crash imminent braking, to help prevent and mitigate front-to-rear crashes.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau's safety notice restricts commercial passenger flights from any air operator, both domestic and foreign, of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft from arriving, departing, or overflying Canadian airspace.

March 13, 2019 U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Florida Restaurant Operator For Safety Violations After Employee Suffers Burn Injuries

"New York prohibits residential burning during the coming high-risk fire season to reduce wildfires and protect people, property, and natural resources. The ban has been extremely effective in reducing the number of wildfires, and we're encouraging New Yorkers to put safety first," New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said March 12.

The FDA is committed to helping ensure that compounded drugs are made under appropriate production standards. When we find compounders that violate the law by not adhering to requirements and put patients at risk, we're going to hold them accountable under the law," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said.