Page 14 - Occupational Health & Safety, May 2018

INDUSTRY UPDATE
vent more than 22,000 cases of work-related illness, including can- cers. The chemicals are:
■ Cadmium and its inorganic compounds
■ Beryllium and inorganic beryllium compounds
■ Arsenic acid and its salts, as well as inorganic arsenic
compounds
■ Formaldehyde
■ 4,4’-Methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA)
“Today, the commission has taken another important step to-
wards fighting work-related cancer and other relevant health prob- lems on the work floor. We propose to limit workers’ exposure to five additional cancer-causing chemicals,” said Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen. “This will improve protection for over 1 million workers in Europe and help create a healthier and safer workplace, which is a core principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights.”
The first three carcinogens are used extensively in sectors such as cadmium production and refining, nickel-cadmium bat- tery manufacture, mechanical plating, zinc and copper smelting, foundries, glass, laboratories, electronics, chemicals, construction, health care, plastics, and recycling.
The commission said the proposed limits are based on scientific evidence and follow broad discussions with relevant stakeholders, in particular employers, workers, and Member States’ representatives.
Colorado Agencies Open TIM Training Center
Officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Douglas County, Colo., and the Colorado State Patrol held a grand opening of the state’s first traffic incident management (TIM) training center on April 5. Located in northern Douglas County, it is just the second such facility in the United States ded- icated to providing hands-on training in a realistic and full-scale setting for first responders.
This one replicates a concrete interstate and other highway seg- ments. First responders can use it to hone their skills and get the training they need to safely clear roadway incidents.
“Partnering with Douglas County and the State Patrol is an- other excellent example of how we can pool our respective re- sources to improve highway safety,” said CDOT Executive Di- rector Michael Lewis. “As our roadways continue to get more crowded, it’s imperative that our first responders have the best level of training available. These various partnerships allowed us to build this training center, helping us to meet the traffic chal- lenges of today and tomorrow.”
CDOT reported that the $1.5 million center is the first TIM training area constructed with concrete, which requires less main- tenance than asphalt. First responders can use it to practice tactics such as pushing, up-righting, and towing vehicles without damag- ing the pavement and practice tactics and strategies that improve safety and minimize their exposure to traffic hazards.
While dedicating the facility to all of Colorado’s first respond- ers, memorial plaques were presented to the families of CSP Troop- ers Jaimie Jursevics and Cody Donahue to honor their service and sacrifice on behalf of the residents of Colorado. Both were hit and killed by vehicles during traffic stops on I-25 in Douglas County.
The country’s first full-scale TIM facility was constructed in 2014 in Nashville. According to CDOT, TIM tactics involve the
safe, quick clearance of traffic incidents, improving responder and motorist safety, and reducing travel delays following crashes or other incidents.
NNSA Team Wins Project Management Award
The National Nuclear Security Administration project team for the Transuranic Waste Facility, which was completed in Septem- ber 2017 both $2 million under budget and four months ahead of schedule, recently received the Department of Energy Secretary’s Project Management Achievement Award for their work. The pre- sentation took place during the 2018 DOE Project Management Workshop held in Arlington, Va.
The TWF project at Los Alamos National Laboratory is NNSA’s first Hazard Category 2 Nuclear Facility project completed under budget. The agency announced the award on April 5.
The TWF facility consists of multiple buildings that will be used for staging newly generated solid transuranic wastes from Los Alamos Lab programs and missions for ultimate disposition at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Transuranic waste is waste that has been contaminated with artificially made elements that have an atomic number higher than uranium.
The news release explained that the project team “used an in- novative contracting strategy to safely execute this project under budget and ahead of schedule. They used a separate contract line item under the larger Management and Operating contract to in- centivize cost and schedule performance.” The final total project cost was $97 million. NNSA reported it is now using this contract- ing model at other sites.
Two More States’ Transit Safety
Oversight Programs Certified
The Federal Transit Administration announced April 6 that Vir- ginia and Colorado have obtained federal certification of their rail transit State Safety Oversight Programs. Federal law requires states with rail transit systems in the engineering or construction phase of development or in operation to obtain FTA certification of their SSO Programs by April 15, 2019, and FRA is reminding states yet to obtain certification about its importance.
Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation is re- sponsible for providing safety oversight of Hampton Roads Tran- sit. In Colorado, the Public Utilities Commission is responsible for providing safety oversight of the Regional Transportation District in Denver.
“FTA has been assisting states in developing safety oversight programs that meet Federal certification requirements so transit agencies can continue to receive federal funding for the safe move- ment of millions of people every day,” said FTA Acting Adminis- trator K. Jane Williams. “With SSO Program certification, Virginia and Colorado have strengthened oversight of passenger and work- er safety for rail transit systems in their states.”
Thirty 30 states still must obtain FTA certification of their programs by the deadline. Four states and Washington, D.C., al- ready have it. The states are Ohio, Minnesota, Utah, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.
If a state fails to meet the deadline, FTA is prohibited by law from awarding any new federal transit funds to transit agencies within the state until certification is achieved.
14 Occupational Health & Safety | MAY 2018
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