Regulations & Compliance
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Boeing 787 Battery Fire Was Difficult To Control
March 8, 2013 2:15 pm | by Joan Lowy, Joshua Freed, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released 547 pages of reports and supporting materials about its investigation of the Jan. 7 fire. The documents show firefighters struggling to tame a small but worrisome fire that has left investigators relieved that it happened after a flight and not during one.
OSHA Proposes Fines In Death At Peoria Plant
March 8, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has charged Komatsu America Corp. with safety violations at its plant in Peoria and proposed an $82,000 fine in the death of an employee. The Journal Star in Peoria reports that a 53-year-old man was testing hydraulic equipment when his arm was severed.
Countdown To REACH — Complying With Document Delivery Challenges
March 8, 2013 9:27 am | by Malcolm Carroll, Director, Reach Delivery | Articles | CommentsThe aim of REACH is to improve and ensure the safe use of chemicals, and the one of the things that REACH does is make all parties in the supply chain — from manufacturers, distributors through to downstream users — directly responsible for the safety of the chemical substances they handle.
Successfully Implementing A Condition Monitoring Program, Part 2
March 6, 2013 8:00 am | by Trent Phillips, LUDECA | Articles | CommentsAfter the proper groundwork has been completed, it is time to build the database for your CM technology. You should be able to easily copy and paste the equipment templates previously created and assign them to the actual equipment you will be monitoring.
Successfully Implementing A Condition Monitoring Program, Part 1
March 5, 2013 8:00 am | by Trent Phillips, LUDECA | Articles | CommentsSelection of a condition monitoring (CM) technology is not an easy task and requires that many concerns be taken into consideration. Determination of what functionality is needed, selection of a technology provider that can deliver the required technology, and an available budget are all critical considerations to think about before making a purchase.
Pratt & Whitney Discloses Fraudulent Engine Tests
March 4, 2013 3:08 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney said it uncovered fraudulent testing of engine parts involving falsified records, but that no recalls or other problems resulted. The subsidiary of United Technologies said an investigation was begun in June 2011 when an employee alleged that test data had been altered over 15 years at Carmel Forge, another United Technologies unit, in Israel.
Safety Violations Alleged At Norfolk Food Plant
March 4, 2013 3:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal regulators have proposed $45,000 in fines against the operator of a food plant in Norfolk where two workers were burned. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration says Henningsen Foods Inc. had seven safety violations, including one repeat, during an inspection after the accident in October 2012.
Rig Owner Cites BP's Low Flow Estimates
March 4, 2013 10:18 am | by Kevin McGill, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe owner of the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 says BP hampered efforts to stop the resulting gusher of oil by misleading government officials about how many barrels of oil were flowing each day from the damaged well on the Gulf floor.
Samsung's $1B Bill In Apple Case Reduced
March 4, 2013 10:15 am | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe two biggest — and bitterest — rivals in the smartphone market will have to endure another bruising trial after a federal judge ruled that jurors miscalculated nearly half the $1 billion in damages it found Samsung Electronics owed Apple Inc. for patent infringement.
National Alliance For Jobs To Fight Unfair Competition
March 1, 2013 4:41 pm | by The National Alliance for Jobs and Innovation (NAJI) | News | CommentsA group of concerned industry stakeholders have joined together to help stop the unfair competition that results from widespread theft of Intellectual Property and Information Technology/ Every year, firms around the world steal billions of dollars worth of IP. The theft of IT is estimated to cost more than $63 billion a year in commercial software value alone.
Sequester Defense Cuts To Impact Thousands In AL
February 28, 2013 1:13 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsIf lawmakers cannot find a way to avoid the sequester, thousands of workers at the Anniston Army Depot and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama will take a pay cut. The effect would be particularly devastating in Huntsville, AL, because the local economy is so dependent on Redston.
ND Supreme Court: Sugar Workers Can Get Benefits
February 27, 2013 2:24 pm | by Kristi Eaton, Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than 400 American Crystal Sugars workers in North Dakota who are locked out in a contract dispute are eligible for unemployment benefits, the state Supreme Court ruled. The decision reverses a lower court's ruling that said the workers were not eligible for benefits from Job Service North Dakota because state law prohibits unemployment insurance for workers involved in labor disputes.
TEPCO To Cut Power To Companies Refusing Rate Hike
February 27, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTokyo Electric Power Co. may suspend power supply to companies and factories that are refusing to accept the utility's higher electricity rates, which it has increased since April last year by an average of 14.9 percent, a company official said Wednesday.
Food Safety & Technology: What's Next for 2013?
February 27, 2013 10:49 am | EventsThe need for robust food safety programs has never been greater, and a host of new technologies have sprung up to help processors meet the increasing challenges. What are these new advancements, and how can they help you meet your customers’ demands?
U.S. Oil Spill: Top BP Official On The Stand
February 27, 2013 10:14 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA BP executive will testify for a second day Wednesday at a trial over the worst oil spill in the U.S., speaking before a judge who will decide whether the London-based oil giant and other companies acted with gross negligence for the 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Prosecutor: No Charges In 2008 GA Refinery Blast
February 27, 2013 10:12 am | by Russ Bynum, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Justice Department has decided it won't seek criminal charges against Imperial Sugar or its executives years after explosions tore through its sugar refinery near and killed 14 workers, a federal prosecutor in Georgia said Tuesday. .S. Attorney Edward Tarver issued a statement saying prosecutors determined at best they would be able to bring only misdemeanor charges alleging violations of industrial cleanliness standards of OSHA.
AL Looks To Limit Lawsuits For Airbus Suppliers
February 27, 2013 10:09 am | by Phillip Rawls, Associated Press | News | CommentsNow that Alabama is getting an Airbus manufacturing plant, state lawmakers want to prevent Airbus suppliers from setting up shop in neighboring states where it's not as easy for them to be sued. House and Senate committees voted unanimously Tuesday for legislation to limit lawsuits involving large commercial planes made in Alabama.
Too Big To Fly: Why Engineering Should Stay Small
February 27, 2013 8:00 am | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsEverybody has heard the now-clichéd term, ‘too big to fail’, and all of the negative connotations that are associated with said title. Also, I’m sure most, if not all, of you have heard or read something about the recent problems Boeing is experiencing with the Lithium Ion batteries.
First Witness Testifies In Gulf Oil Spill Trial
February 26, 2013 2:12 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsBP failed to implement a new safety plan on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling rig even though the company realized a blowout in the Gulf of Mexico was its greatest danger, an expert witness for people and businesses suing the company testified Tuesday.
House Approves $6.9M Factory, Farm Tax Break
February 26, 2013 10:27 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | CommentsFactory operators, farmers and fishermen could stop paying sales taxes on electricity and fuel, under a state House proposal. Representatives passed House Bill 844 by a 75-43 vote Monday to exempt those groups from a 1.5 percent sales tax on fuel used in producing those industries' products. It now goes to the Senate for more debate.
Judge Rules For Pearl River Co. In Plant Dispute
February 26, 2013 10:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Pearl River County judge has ruled against a group of residents who sought to block development of five acres near the construction site of a sand drying plant in Pearl River County. The Alliance Consulting Group is locating the plant on 30 acres between Nicholson and Picayune. The $30 million plant will service the oil industry. It will create 40-to-50 jobs.
DEP Seeks New Fines, Plan For WV Chemical Plant
February 22, 2013 10:02 am | by Vicki Smith, Associated Press | News | CommentsWest Virginia environmental regulators are seeking nearly $250,000 in new water pollution fines against the owner of a Northern Panhandle chemical plant under revisions to a settlement reached more than two years ago. The Department of Environmental Protection says the the plant has struggled to consistently meet the mandatory pollution limits for various chemicals.
Lockheed To Pay $19.5M To Settle Lawsuit
February 21, 2013 4:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLockheed Martin Corp. will pay $19.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the defense contractor misled investors. The company disclosed the settlement in a filing Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in New York. Lockheed denied violating any securities laws or misleading investors but said it settled because of the cost and uncertainty of going to trial.
Judge: U.S. Steel Can Test New Employees For Booze
February 21, 2013 4:24 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal judge in Pittsburgh says United States Steel Corp. can randomly test new employees for drugs and alcohol, rejecting a challenge by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which sued claiming a worker was fired when she falsely tested positive for drinking because she was diabetic.
Artifacts Found On Site For IA Fertilizer Plant
February 20, 2013 1:37 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Egyptian company planning to invest $1.4 billion to build a fertilizer plant in southeastern Iowa may have to pay for archaeological digging at the site because Native American artifacts were found there, the state archaeologist said Wednesday.
