Original article published by Federal Aviation Administration
Photo: Federal Aviation Administration
FAA invites interested drone operators and stakeholders to register for Drone Safety Day events through the National Center for Autonomous Technology, as the agency aims to build a “central, virtual library” of information.
FAA asks participants to use the hashtag #DroneSafetyDay when posting about the event on social media. Those on Facebook and Twitter can tag the agency using @FAADroneZone.
Drones are the fastest growing segment of aviation in the United States. As of January, there are over 871,000 drones registered with the FAA, and over 307,000 certified Remote Pilots. These numbers are projected to continue to grow and we want everyone who operates drones to have fun and be safe!
Drone Safety Day (DSD) is an annual campaign dedicated to educating the drone community of the importance of flying safely. DSD will highlight the societal, economic, and safety benefits of safe drone operations with in-person, virtual, and hybrid events in focus areas such as Education, Economics, Equity, Environment, and Emergencies.
Download the 2023 Drone Safety Day Playbook and 2023 Drone Safety Day Flyer to learn more on how you can participate. These materials will give you an outline of what Drone Safety Day is all about and ideas for how to put together your DSD event. You can also visit our Drone@Home page to find fun ideas to participate at home.
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.
Prevent falls through skylights and other openings
In 2021, 62 U.S. construction workers died after falling through a surface or an existing opening such as a skylight, according to data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
“Holes and openings are made in roofs and floors of buildings, both when they are built and when they are torn down,” CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training says.
Prevent injuries on your jobsite. Tips from CPWR:
Guard or cover all holes before you leave a work area. Your co-workers may not see an uncovered hole, which means they could fall through it.
Label all covers with the word “hole” or “cover.”
If you see a hole that’s uncovered, take the time to cover it.
Make sure hole covers can support at least two times the weight of your co-workers, equipment and materials. If a hole is larger than plywood, use guardrails. (OSHA requires covers of standard strength and construction.)
Fasten all hole covers with screws and/or nails. “If a worker steps on an unsecured cover, it can shift and the worker can fall through the hole and be injured.”
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.
MINE FATALITY – On January 23, 2023, a utility management miner died, and another miner was seriously injured, while removing unused waterline pipe suspended from a mine roof. The two miners were using hand tools to remove a pipe fitting when the waterline pipe suddenly came apart, striking the victim.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices
Operators should:
Release stored energy and pressure from pipes (block and bleed) before breaking a pipe connection.
Lock out, tag out, and block equipment from movement before performing maintenance or repairs.
Train miners in the safe performance of their tasks.
Additional Information
This is the third fatality reported in 2023, and the first classified as “Hand Tools.”
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.
National Ladder Safety Month Marketing Guide: Our voice is stronger together. Help Us spread our message.
Almost every home in the United Sates has one, and chances are you have used one personally either at work or at home. From changing out a lightbulb to getting on top of a roof, ladders are a common piece of equipment used in almost every home or building and appear to be harmless — and yet according to Injury Facts, thousands of people are killed due to falls from a ladder or scaffolding work. In fact, falls are the second leading cause of death next to highway crashes.
Understanding the different types of ladders as well as safe ladder practices are key to preventing falls and other potential injuries.
Last year, our National Ladder Safety Month message reached millions of people and with your help this year, it can reach even more.
Thank you for your support of the 2022 National Ladder Safety Month! We have developed this marketing kit to help you promote the value of this important movement and spread the word to your network.
The pieces of the guide were created with you in mind and can be used in conjunction with one another or on their own. Our goal is to make amplifying our message as easy and empowering as possible.
Click the link below to explore the guide.
Contact us at marketing@laddersafetymonth.com with your efforts and a company logo (or take a selfie if you’re educating friends and family), and we’ll make sure to share it through our social media outlets.
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.
MINE FATALITY – On January 14, 2022, a 44-year-old contract laborer with 13 years of total experience received fatal injuries when he fell 27 feet to a concrete surface. At the time of the accident, the contractor was on a belt conveyor in a preparation plant and was working to replace a belt conveyor roller.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices:
Establish and follow safety policies and procedures, when working at heights.
Train miners to use fall protection when a fall hazard exists.
Ensure fall protection is available and properly maintained.
Provide identifiable and secure anchor points to attach lanyards and lifelines.
Provide mobile or stationary platforms—or scaffolding—where there is a risk of falling.
Additional Information:
This is the fourth fatality reported in 2022, and the first classified as “Slip or Fall of Person”
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.
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication
Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking to increase the area safety technology can be mounted inside commercial motor vehicles and expand the definition of “vehicle safety technology.”
According to a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the July 6 Federal Register, the proposals are in response to a rulemaking petition from Daimler Trucks North America.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations mandate that vehicle safety devices be mounted no more than 4 inches “below the upper edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers.” The devices also must remain outside the driver’s line of sight to the road and highway signs/signals.
FMCSA is proposing to increase that parameter to 8.5 inches below the upper edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers. The FMCSR’s rule that the devices may not be mounted more than 7 inches “above the lower edge of the area swept by the windshield wipers” would remain unchanged.
The proposed expanded definition of “vehicle safety technology” adds braking warning/assist systems, automatic emergency braking, driver camera systems and attention assist warning, as well as global positioning systems and other devices. Those include systems and devices that use lidar, radar and sensors.
McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, DOT 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.
Wildfire season is one more reason for drivers to use extra care
Don’t let your vehicle be the cause of a wildfire
As warm, dry weather settles into our state, the Arizona Department of Transportation is urging drivers to use extra care with their vehicles to reduce the chance of igniting a wildfire.
Motorists should take preventative measures to reduce the risk that a spark from a vehicle or trailer doesn’t result in dry vegetation catching fire. A few tips include:
Dragging chains while something is being towed can cause sparks; Check and fasten the chains before starting your trip.
Make sure nothing is hanging under your vehicle or dragging on the pavement.
Check tire pressure before traveling. If a tire is with less air pressure, the tire can cause sparks.
Do not park where there is tall grass since the heat from the bottom of the vehicle can cause a fire.
In some areas of the state, ADOT overhead message boards will carry wildfire safety reminders with some listing AM radio frequencies that offer more localized wildfire information.
McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, DOT 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.
Equipment Alert: – Manufacturer Notice – MSA Four Gas Calibration Cylinders – Added 4/30/2021
MSA is issuing this User Safety Notice to inform you of action required for a single production lot of Four Gas Calibration Cylinders (58L). The manufacturer of the cylinders has informed MSA that the torque used to secure the valve to MSA Four Gas Calibration Cylinders in lot 239511 may have been below specification for some cylinders in the lot.
Greenbelt, Maryland (April 1, 2021) – Starting today, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2021 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria are now in effect. Commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel use the criteria to identify commercial motor vehicle and driver violations that result in the vehicle or driver being placed out of service. The 2021 out-of-service criteria replace and supersede all previous versions.
The voting members of the Alliance approved four changes to the out-of-service criteria, which are now in effect. In accordance with the CVSA Bylaws, the proposed changes were communicated to the voting members of the Alliance on Oct. 15, 2020, and ratified on Oct. 30, 2020. The out-of-service criteria are updated annually, effective April 1 of each year.
The following changes were made to the out-of-service criteria:
Footnote 10 in Part I, Item 9. DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS – U.S. – Footnotes for Driver’s Record of Duty Status – U.S. was amended. Also, footnotes 5 through 8 were removed and reserved. However, they were not completely deleted because other documents refer to these footnotes and renumbering them could cause confusion.
Language was added to Part I, Item 10. DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS – CANADA, h. No Daily Log (See Footnote 2) and i. False Log (See Footnote 1) for record of duty status.
Additional language for record of duty status and a footnote were added to Part I, Item 10. DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS – CANADA – Footnotes for Driver’s Record of Duty Status.
Language was added to Part II, Item 9. LIGHTING DEVICES (HEADLAMPS, TAIL LAMPS, STOP LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS AND LAMPS/FLAGS ON PROJECTING LOADS) – b. At Any Time – Day or Night (1) on center high-mounted stop lamp(s).
The CVSA Training Committee, the Education Quality Assurance Team in Canada and the U.S. National Training Center’s Technical Review and Update Specialist Team will incorporate these changes, as appropriate, into North American Standard Inspection Program training materials, along with updated inspection bulletins, inspection procedures, operational policies and training videos.
There are several versions (print, electronic, other languages, etc.) of the 2021 out-of-service criteria available for purchase through the CVSA online store. The 2021 out-of-service criteria app is available for purchase by searching “CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria” in the App Store or Google Play.
The out-of-service criteria are different from federal, state and territorial regulations. Regulations are the minimum requirements (developed by federal, state, provincial or territorial regulatory authorities) for the operation of commercial motor vehicles in interstate/interprovincial commerce. CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria ensure uniformity, consistency and reciprocity among the states, provinces, territories and countries in determining whether or not drivers or vehicles present an imminent hazard and should be placed out of service. Together, the federal regulations and CVSA’s out-of-service criteria provide the standards drivers, motor carriers and law enforcement personnel use to ensure the commercial motor vehicles and drivers on North America’s roadways are safe and in compliance.
CVSA hosted a webinar outlining the changes to the 2021 out-of-service criteria. The webinar is available to CVSA members through the online CVSA member portal. Once logged in, click on the CVSA Learning tab, then click on “Roadside” to view all past webinars.
For questions about the criteria, contact CVSA Director of Roadside Inspection Program Kerri Wirachowsky via email or at 301-830-6153.
McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, DOT 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.
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.
“Ladders are tools,” the American Ladder Institute says. “Many of the basic safety rules that apply to most tools also apply to the safe use of a ladder.”
A fall from a ladder can result from sudden movement, working too quickly, not paying attention, using a damaged ladder and improper footwear. The institute, which recognizes March as National Ladder Safety Month, offers tips to prepare to work on a ladder:
Feeling tired or dizzy? Stay off the ladder.
Inspect the ladder before use to ensure it’s in good working order.
Make sure you’re using the right size ladder for the job.
Don’t use ladders during storms or high wind.
Wear slip-resistant shoes if you’ll be climbing a ladder.
Set up the ladder on firm, level ground away from doors.
Allow only one person on the ladder at a time, and don’t carry items in your hands that can interfere with your grip.
When it’s time to climb the ladder, remember that you’ll need to maintain three points of contact to avoid a fall.
“At all times during ascent, descent and working, the climber must face the ladder and have two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, in contact with the ladder steps, rungs and/or side rails,” the institute says. “This way, the climber is not likely to become unstable in the event one limb slips during the climb.”
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.
