Month: May 2023

June is National Safety Month

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+HealthNational Safety Month

Join the National Safety Council in June as we celebrate National Safety Month, an NSC initiative dedicated to highlighting and providing solutions for the leading causes of injury and death in the workplace. Each week during the month, NSC puts the spotlight on a new safety topic. The 2023 themes are:

  • Week 1: Emergency preparedness
  • Week 2: Slips, trips and falls
  • Week 3: Heat-related illness
  • Week 4: Hazard recognition

You can use our June safety tips below to help get you started on your National Safety Month journey. And don’t forget to “go green for safety” this month! Go to nsc.org/nsm to learn more.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Plan now for National Forklift Safety Day

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health

NFSDlogo-10year-01-768x280.jpg
Photo: Industrial Truck Association

Washington — Forklift safety and operator training will be in the spotlight June 13 as part of the 10th annual National Forklift Safety Day.

A panel of safety experts, together with industry and government representatives, will participate in the free event, set to take place virtually and in-person at the National Press Club in Washington. Organized by the Industrial Truck Association, participation is open to ITA members, anyone who works in the material handling industry or government, and end users. The panel will address attendees at 9 a.m. Eastern.

In addition to OSHA administrator Doug Parker, speakers include:

  • Brian Feehan, president, ITA
  • Chuck Pascarelli, ITA chair and president, Americas, Hyster-Yale Group
  • Michael Wood, senior vice president for quality, health, safety and environment, TEAM Industrial Services
  • Ed Stilwell, innovation chief technologist, Hyster-Yale Group

On June 12, ITA members and guests can attend a two-hour educational session, featuring updates on OSHA activities and current congressional activities. The session is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern and will take place at the Willard InterContinental Hotel.

Registration is available online.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Operation Safe Driver Week Is July 9-15

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by CVSA

Photo: CVSA

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced July 9-15 as this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. Throughout that week, law enforcement officers in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors. Those exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors will be pulled over and given a warning and/or issued a ticket/citation by law enforcement.

This weeklong driver safety traffic enforcement and awareness campaign aims to identify unsafe drivers, deter dangerous driving behaviors and prompt positive driving habits through officer interactions with drivers.  shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors.

Examples of unsafe driver behaviors are speeding; improper lane changes, passing or turns; driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol; using a handheld device; failure to wear a seat belt, etc.

Each year, Operation Safe Driver Week focuses on a specific unsafe driving behavior to call attention to the dangers of that behavior. This year, the focus will be on . CVSA has continued to focus on speeding because it remains a persistent problem on our roadways. Speeding increases the frequency and severity of crashes, and unsafe speeds are a well-documented factor in fatalities and injuries.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched its , a comprehensive approach to significantly reducing serious injuries and deaths on highways, roads and streets. Part of the department’s Safe System Approach is to promote  in all roadway environments through targeted education, outreach campaigns and enforcement. CVSA’s  supports this strategy through its focus on speeding, and other unsafe driving behaviors, during the weeklong traffic enforcement initiative and its continued commitment to improving roadway safety through driver safety education and interactions with law enforcement. Operation Safe Driver Week aims to improve roadway safety by reminding drivers via driver safety communication and education to manage their speeds, and by addressing speeding via responsive traffic enforcement.

In addition to traffic enforcement, driver safety education and awareness is a key component of the Operation Safe Driver Program. CVSA is offering Operation Safe Driver Week postcards at no cost to its industry and enforcement members. The postcards are available in English, French and Spanish. 

Operation Safe Driver is a CVSA program aimed at reducing unsafe driver behaviors through traffic enforcement and by educating all drivers about ways to safely share the roads.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

FMCSA may soon remove certified medical examiners (CME) from the National Registry

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Drivers must take action to avoid disqualification

In July 2022, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that five-year refresher training was available. CMEs who were due or overdue for the five-year refresher had until December 31, 2022, to complete the training. Although FMCSA has not yet removed any CMEs from the National Registry for Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) for failure to meet the extended five-year periodic training deadline, removals will start on June 9, 2023.

Interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers must be medically certified by a CME active on the NRCME on the exam date.

How does this affect drivers and carriers?

To avoid drivers being medically disqualified due to the CME not being on the NRCME on the exam date, drivers, or their carriers, must check the Registry site (FMCSA National Registry (dot.gov)) before booking an appointment. If a particular CME is inactive on the NRCME, they must choose another active CME for the exam.

There have been issues with CMEs incorrectly not showing up in the NRCME. The following email and phone number are available to confirm a CMEs status if there are any concerns:

  • National Registry Technical Support Help Desk at fmctechsup@dot.gov, or
  • Call (617) 494-3003.

Removal warnings

FMCSA will issue warnings to CMEs via the email noted in the CME’s Registry account. The notice will state that the CME:

  • Is overdue for five-year refresher training, and
  • Must complete training by June 9, 2023, or FMCSA will initiate removal action.

If removal action is taken, FMCSA will send another notice. Medical examiners subject to a removal action cannot request reinstatement for 30 days and must correct the issue for FMCSA to consider reinstatement.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

FMCSA Launches Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by FMCSA

New campaign reaches truck and motorcoach drivers at rest areas, travel centers, bus stations, and other places where human trafficking may occur

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently launched its new human trafficking awareness campaign — “Your Roads, Their Freedom.” The campaign seeks to give the nation’s 8.7 million commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers the information needed to identify and report suspected human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and it has no place in the transportation industry,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “But the hard-hitting reality is that our nation’s transportation systems are exploited by human traffickers every day, and FMCSA is working to help stop it.”

FMCSA is the federal leader in educating the CMV industry about road safety. Because human trafficking poses a threat to transportation safety, FMCSA is uniquely positioned to educate CMV drivers on ways to protect U.S. roadways against criminals perpetrating this crime. Additionally, FMCSA requires states and the District of Columbia to permanently ban drivers convicted of human trafficking from operating a CMV, which requires a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit.

Globally, an estimated 28 million people are currently subjected to human trafficking, and the crime occurs in every state of the U.S. As part of DOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) awareness campaign, the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign will build on other federal efforts against human trafficking, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and FMCSA’s grant programs, which awarded millions in funding to support state counter-trafficking efforts.

Through the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign and other federal agency efforts, DOT aims “to empower America’s transportation workforce, which is millions strong, to be the eyes and ears of our collective effort,” as highlighted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg in his remarks made to the President’s Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking in February of this year.

Truckers made over 1,400 calls to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline from December 2007 through June 2016, and 452 potential human trafficking cases were identified. Truckers reported this information in real time, enabling quicker responses by law enforcement.

While the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign will be conducted nationwide, there will be a heightened emphasis across states with the highest reported number of human trafficking cases or a high volume of driver traffic. These states include California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and North Carolina among others.

For more information on the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign, along with shareable resources, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/stophumantrafficking.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

FMCSA advisory committee to meet in June

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo: FMCSA

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee has scheduled virtual meetings for June 6-7.

According to a notice published in the May 18 Federal Register, the meetings will start at 9:30 a.m. The agenda includes briefings:

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

MHSA – Mine Fatality #18

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by MSHA
Accident scene where a miner died when he was struck by a mobile radial stacker conveyor.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices
  • Provide safe access to all working places by identifying hazards around belt conveyor systems.
  • Deenergize, lock out, tag out, and block equipment from hazardous motion before performing maintenance or repairs.
  • Provide remote e-stops to allow for safe access around moving equipment.
  • Train miners to work around moving equipment, including the hazards associated with the work to be performed.
Additional Information

This is the 18th fatality reported in 2023, and the fourth classified as “Powered Haulage.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Public Citizen calls for an OSHA heat standard

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
dyk-heat-psa_original
Photo: OSHA

Washington — An OSHA standard aimed at protecting workers from extreme heat exposure could prevent at least 50,000 injuries and illnesses annually, a watchdog group contends.

A recent report from Public Citizen also claims that workplace heat exposure or stress is linked to as many as 2,000 worker deaths and 170,000 injuries each year.

Other findings in the report:

  • Heat stress-related tragedies “disproportionately strike” low-income workers and workers of color.
  • Latino workers are three times more likely to suffer a heat-related death than non-Latino workers.
  • Agricultural workers experience heat stress-related deaths at a rate 35 times higher than the rest of the workforce.
  • Workplace injuries rise by 1% for every 1° C increase in temperature.

Public Citizen is calling on OSHA to develop a standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers from heat. The agency published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in the Oct. 27, 2021, Federal Register. The public comment period expired in early 2022.

In April of that year, OSHA introduced a National Emphasis Program on heat-related inspections. The NEP, set to remain in effect until April 2025, includes plans to conduct inspections in more than 70 “high-risk” industries when the heat index reaches 80° F or higher.

“Each year without an OSHA heat stress standard puts the health and lives of more workers on the line,” the report states. “The risk of workplace heat stress illness, injury and death is increasing with climate change, and predictions for extreme temperatures and increased heat waves in 2023 and 2024 make the need for a heat standard more urgent than ever.”

In a press release, Public Citizen worker health and safety advocate Juley Fulcher adds: “Employers can take simple actions to protect their employees, but unfortunately many see it as a burden. By implementing a binding and comprehensive heat stress standard from OSHA, we can prevent countless illnesses, injuries, and fatalities and create safer, more productive workplaces.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

CDC updates recommendations on building ventilation

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Washington — Occupied buildings should undergo at least five clean air changes an hour, according to updated ventilation guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency says air changes can be accomplished via “any combination of central ventilation system, natural ventilation or additional devices that provide equivalent [air changes per hour] to your existing ventilation.” CDC explains on its website how to calculate air changes per hour.

Another updated recommendation: installing air filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value of 13 or higher. The revised guidance also addresses post-occupancy flushing of building air and details cost considerations for ventilation strategies.

CDC also added to its list of answers to FAQs, as well as revamped all of the FAQs “to include a concise answer, followed by more detail.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

House committee advances truck parking act and other bills

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo: Missouri Department of Transportation

Washington — The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, along with 16 other bills, during a May 23 markup.

Introduced by Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), the act (H.R. 2367) would empower the transportation secretary to issue grants for projects that create truck parking. It also would allow for expanded parking at current truck parking areas and prohibit charging drivers for any parking spaces created under the act.

“I grew up in a family trucking business,” Bost said in a committee press release. “I understand how difficult, and oftentimes dangerous, it can be when America’s truckers are forced to park in an unsafe location. By expanding access to parking options for truckers, we are making our roads safer for all commuters and ensuring goods and supplies are shipped to market in the most efficient way possible. This is a matter of public safety, and I’m proud to have led on this important legislation.”

Among the other bills approved:

  • The Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3013), which would direct the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to revise federal regulations on state or third-party administration of commercial driver’s license knowledge tests. In addition, states or third parties would be allowed to administer driving tests regardless of which state an applicant lives in or where they received driver training.
  • The Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act (H.R. 915), which would direct FMCSA “to develop a new safety fitness determination process to change the way a motor carrier is rated.”
  • H.R. 3372, which would establish voluntary 10-year pilot programs for states to increase truck weights on federal interstates to 91,000 pounds on six axles.

The committee postponed its consideration of the Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) Safe Integrity Act (H.R. 3408) – a bill concerning a pilot program for 18- to 20-year-old interstate truck and bus drivers. The status of the bill is undetermined for future markups.

All 17 of the bills passed by the committee now go before the full House.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.