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Contractor Exposed Workers to Scaffolding, Fall Hazards

After a compliance officer saw Real Contractors’ employees exposed to fall hazards, OSHA cited the company for repeat violations related to failure to provide safe scaffolding, and failure to provide fall protection and training. A serious violation was also given to the Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania-based company for additional scaffold hazards. "By not complying with OSHA safety standards, Real Contractors continues to put its workers at serious risk of being injured or killed on the job. The hazards found in our inspection are all completely preventable, and must be immediately corrected by the company," said Theresa Downs, director of OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office.

Sheet Metal Manufacturer Cited After Court Ordered Inspection

OSHA found more than a dozen repeated and serious violations.

WV Governor Gives State Workers Half Day Off Dec. 23

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office noted that his proclamation does not affect the work requirements of public employees who may be called to duty to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of West Virginians.



Community Risk Reduction is defined in NFPA 1035 as "programs, actions, and services used by a community, which prevent or mitigate the loss of life, property, and resources associated with life safety, fire, and other disasters within a community."

2015 Saw Third-Lowest Firefighter Injury Rate Since 1981: NFPA

The association's report showed there were an estimated 16,600 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles responding to or returning from incidents during 2015 -- the highest number of collisions since NFPA began collecting data on collisions in 1990.

FAA Issues Final Rule on Small Airplane Safety Standards

The rule will streamline approval of new technology, according to the agency.

ECHA Agreement Addresses Nanomaterials Information

The European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EU-ON) will be developed in three phases, with phase one set to go live in summer 2017.

2016 in Retrospect

Along with the good news, some of the year's safety and health highlights were bad or even ugly, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics' confirmation in December that workplace fatalities increased in the most recent fiscal year to the highest number since 2008.

Contractor Cited After Worker Falls to His Death

RP Construction has been cited for failing to provide fall protection.

NYC Tops 60 Million Visitors in 2016

"We are the safest, most culturally rich, most exciting city in the country. Every time visitors come, they can experience something new,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "We are focused on making sure the benefits of tourism stretch into every borough and every community."

Interior Finalizes Stream Protection Rule

"The final rule updates 33-year old regulations and establishes clear requirements for responsible surface coal mining that will protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests over the next two decades," according to the agency.

Canada Revising Food Ingredient Labels

Changes to the nutrition facts table include making the serving size more consistent so it's easier to compare similar foods and also make it realistic so that it reflects the amount that Canadians typically eat in one sitting.

Britain Unveils New Health and Work Strategy

Last year, work-related illness affected around 1.3 million workers and nearly 26 million working days were lost because of it, costing more than £9 billion, or about $11 billion in U.S. dollars, annually for new cases alone.

NTSB Closes Natural Gas Service Line Recommendation

The agency had recommended that PHMSA require that excess flow valves be installed in all new and renewed gas service lines, regardless of a customer's classification, when operating conditions are compatible with readily available valves, and a 2016 final rule has accomplished that.

CDC Documents Increased Black Lung Cases in Kentucky

The report describes a cluster of 60 cases of PMF identified in current and former coal miners at one Eastern Kentucky radiology practice during January 2015–August 2016, a cluster that was not uncovered by the national surveillance program.

E-Cigarette Sparks Fire on American Airlines Flight

No one was hurt on the flight, which made an emergency landing in Arkansas.

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