Page 28 - Occupational Health & Safety, January 2018

YEAR IN REVIEW: 2017
noma, and Yuba Counties have proclaimed local health emergencies as a result of the debris, and the debris “poses an imminent threat to public health and safety” because it is “filled with dangerous toxins including heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and lethal asbestos and must be removed cautiously and expeditiously.”
Oct. 17: Balloon operators
The National Transportation Safety Board faults a “pattern of poor decision-making” by the operator of a balloon that crashed on July 30, 2016, in Lockhart, Texas, kill- ing him and 15 passengers, after the bal- loon struck power lines. The pilot owned and operated the balloon. NTSB also faults FAA’s oversight of commercial balloon op- erators, making two recommendations to the agency that ask it to remove the medi- cal certificate exemption for commercial balloon operators and to find ways to bet- ter provide oversight of balloon operators.
“Today’s recommendations, if acted on, will help to bring the safety standards closer to those that apply to powered flight,” NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt says. “Balloon pilots, their passengers, and their passengers’ loved ones deserve no less.”
The board concludes the medical cer- tification exemption for commercial bal- loon operators contributed to the balloon crash. Also contributing to the accident were the pilot’s impairing medical condi- tions and medications that likely affected his decision-making, the board finds, saying its investigators determined that depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the combined effects of mul- tiple central nervous system-impairing drugs probably affected the pilot’s ability to make safe decisions.
Sept. 26: Dropped objects standard
ISEA members involved in the develop- ment of a new standard, ANSI/ISEA 121, Standard for Dropped Objects Prevention Solutions, give an update on their efforts to a packed session at the 2017 National Safety Congress & Expo in Indianapolis. The principal speakers are Virginia Battles, global vice president of sales for Ty-Flot, and Nate Bohmbach, associate product director for Ergodyne. hall. They explain that four categories of products will be referenced in the standard: anchor points, attachment points, tool tethers, and anti- drop storage, such as self-closing bags.
Battles says there were 247 deaths in 2015 attributed to impacts from dropped objects, that Liberty Mutual reported “struck by” incidents were up 8.6 percent that year, and that Liberty Mutual spent $5.3 billion on workers’ comp claims due to “struck by” incidents from 2013 to 2014.
Sept. 20: Bauxite shipping warning
The International Maritime Organization issues a warning that bauxite may become unstable when carried in bulk on a ship, potentially causing the vessel to capsize. IMO’s announcement says research pre- sented to it found that certain forms of bauxite with a large proportion of smaller particles could be subject to a newly identi- fied phenomenon of “dynamic separation” when there is excess moisture in the cargo.
According to IMO, around 100 million tonnes of bauxite, one of the world’s major sources of aluminum, are moved annually by sea. In 2015, the 10-year-old Bahamas flag Supramax bulk carrier Bulk Jupiter sank with the loss of 18 seafarers, a sinking referenced in the circular.
Sept. 12: Tesla crash
NTSB determines that a truck driver’s fail- ure to yield the right of way and a Tesla automobile driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation were the probable cause of a fatal May 7, 2016, crash near Williston, Fla. The safety board also determines the operational design of the Tesla’s vehicle automation permitted the car driver’s overreliance on the automa- tion, noting its design allowed prolonged disengagement from the driving task and enabledthedrivertouseitinwaysincon- sistent with manufacturer guidance and warnings. The board issues seven new safety recommendations and reiterates two previously issued safety recommendations.
“While automation in highway trans- portation has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives, until that potential is ful- ly realized, people still need to safely drive their vehicles,” says Sumwalt. “Smart people around the world are hard at work to auto- mate driving, but systems available to con- sumers today, like Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ system, are designed to assist drivers with specific tasks in limited environments. These sys- tems require the driver to pay attention all the time and to be able to take over imme- diately when something goes wrong. Sys- tem safeguards that should have prevented
the Tesla’s driver from using the car’s auto- mation system on certain roadways were lacking, and the combined effects of hu- man error and the lack of sufficient system safeguards resulted in a fatal collision that should not have happened,” he says.
July 27: Sleep deprivation
A National Safety Council report indicates almost half of Americans do not get enough sleep to safely perform the duties assigned to them by their employer. It is based on a survey that found 43 percent of Americans say they do not get enough sleep to mitigate critical risks that can jeopardize safety at work and on the roads, including the ability to think clearly, make informed decisions, and be productive.
“These findings are a literal wake-up call: When we’re tired, we can put ourselves and others at risk,” says Deborah A.P. Hers- man, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “We hope Americans rec- ognize that impairment stems not just from alcohol and drugs, but lack of restorative rest—fitness for duty starts with getting a good night’s sleep.”
July 23: Washington state intro- duces E-DUI tickets
Beginning July 23, it is against the law in Washington state for drivers to use hand- held electronics while they are driving. That includes all electronic devices—cell phones, tablets, laptops, and video games. Tickets for driving while using hand-held electronics will go on their record and be reported to their insurance company, the state warns, and an E-DUI ticket will cost $136forthefirstviolationand$234forthe second (within five years).
In line with the change, the Washington state Traffic Safety Commission has report- ed that fatalities from distracted driving increased 32 percent from 2014 to 2015 in Washington state and that one-quarter of all crashes involved a cell phone being used just prior to the crash; the commission’s most recent collision report, from 2014, shows that distracted drivers crash every 12 minutes and distraction was a factor in 40 percent of all collisions and in 123 fatal collisions.
The law says hand-held cell phones may not be used even when stopped in traffic or at a traffic light. It bars:
■ Typing messages or accessing in- formation
22 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY 2018
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