Monthly Archives: August 2017

The White House envisions that a long-promised infrastructure package would streamline the federal approval process for major projects and also require states and localities to shoulder more of the financial burden for building them. It’s a shift in focus from the Obama administration, which had pledged to increase infrastructure funding but never came up with a long-term solution.

“I can assure you that building a road, building a bridge, building a sewer plant, is the easy part,” said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget to a gathering of 150 state and local transportation leaders on Wednesday. “Getting

Roadway accidents are the leading cause of on-the-job deaths in the U.S., but the safety issue remains outside the jurisdiction of the nation’s primary workplace safety agency—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

To fill the void, safety organizations are pushing for employers operating fleets of passenger cars and small trucks not covered by workplace safety regulations to start voluntary programs emphasizing training, maintenance, and tracking driver performance.

“The companies that are the most successful are the ones that look beyond requirements,” Lisa Robinson, a National Safety Council advocate for employer transportation safety, told Bloomberg BNA.

Rolfsen, Bruce (2017, August 30). Rise in

Washington – OSHA is seeking a one-year delay on crane operator certification requirements scheduled to go into effect in November.

The proposed rule, published in the Aug. 30 Federal Register, would move the compliance deadline to Nov. 10, 2018. The extra time is needed so OSHA can address stakeholder concerns, the agency states in a press release.

In its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard issued in 2010, OSHA mandates that crane operators become certified through an accredited testing service, an independently audited employer program, military training, or compliance with qualifying state or local licensing requirements. The final rule also states that employers

It’s the million-dollar question in disaster planning: Do you order a city to evacuate before a hurricane hits land, or do you tell residents to shelter in place?

The question has been before big-city leaders several times in recent years, and it was the question Houston faced as Hurricane Harvey barreled toward the fourth largest city in America.

Mayor Sylvester Turner decided not to order an evacuation, a decision that’s come under scrutiny since the storm landed, flooding large swaths of the city and leaving thousands of people stranded on top of their water-filled homes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, on the

Two years ago, the federal government launched a new grant program to retrain and employ “dislocated workers,” people who lost their jobs and are unlikely to find work again in the same field. Think coal plant or steel manufacturing workers.

Though Congress awarded $150 million to states through the so-called Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant program, the labor department says some states have trouble using the money and end up sending it back to the feds.

“Anecdotally, I know that states have trouble determining [dislocated worker] eligibility,” says Martin Simon, who oversees workforce development policy at the National Governors Association Center

Tropical Storm Harvey’s multi-day siege on Texas and the Gulf Coast has killed at least five, prompted thousands of rescues and triggered catastrophic flooding across the Houston metro. Now, swollen waterways are prompting evacuations in surrounding areas.

New mandatory and voluntary evacuations were ordered in Fort Bend County, Texas, southwest of downtown Houston, over fears and expectations that water levels in the Brazos River will reach record levels, threatening to overtop local levees and inundate homes and businesses.

Breslin, Sean (2017, August 28). Harvey Forces New Evacuations in Texas as Waterways Burst Banks in Houston-Area Flood. Retrieved from URL – https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-harvey-houston-texas-flooding

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Heath Ward, executive director of Springdale Water Utilities, was named manager of the year by the Arkansas Water and Wastewater Managers Association during the group’s 2017 annual conference in Memphis in July. He was cited for his work in the organization and supporting sound policies and legislation that have benefited water and wastewater providers across the state. Recipients of the award are selected by past winners. Ward is the association’s secretary-treasurer and legislative chairman.

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette (2017, August 27). BUSINESS PEOPLE Northwest Arkansas. Retrieved from URL – https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2017/aug/27/business-people-20170827/?news-arkansas-nwa

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Case report: #16KY017*
Issued by: Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Date of incident: May 4, 2016

A 22-year-old construction worker was assisting an excavator operator in digging a 13-foot section of a trench along a roadway. The victim entered the trench – which did not have proper cave-in protection – by running down into it to take grade measurements as instructed by the excavator operator. As the victim was taking measurements, the operator noticed soil shifting on the vertical trench wall and yelled for the victim to get out. The victim tried to jump out of the trench to

Safety and health training should begin as soon as employees are hired, the National Safety Council states, because workers generally will be open to ideas and information about how their new organization operates.

Another reason to begin safety and health training right away? New employees are more likely to experience a work-related incident because of lack of experience, a lack of familiarity with the company’s procedures and an eagerness to work, according to NSC.

Safet+Health (2017, August 27). The importance of training new employees. Retrieved from URL – https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/16045-the-importance-of-training-new-employees

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In one part of the organization, a worker develops carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motions incurred while sitting at a desk.

Elsewhere in the same organization, a worker nearly falls off a platform – but manages to right himself just in time.

The first event is a recordable injury. The second, which could have resulted in a serious injury or fatality, might never be known by anyone other than the fortunate worker and a few colleagues.

Musick, Tom (2017, August 27). Preventing serious injuries and fatalities. Retrieved from URL – https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/16087-preventing-serious-injuries-and-fatalities

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