Safety
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Italian Steel Plant To Close Amid Health Scandal
November 26, 2012 2:12 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA steel plant in southern Italy at the center of an environmental scandal has announced it is closing after police seized some produced goods. Concerns have grown over the elevated incidence of cancer in the area around the Ilva plant. The Environment Ministry has been overseeing efforts to clean up the plant and assess health risks. Police have arrested seven people on suspicion of bribing officials to play down health concerns.
Factory Fire In Bangladesh Highlights Poor Safety
November 26, 2012 2:09 pm | by Farid Hossain, Julhas Alam, Associated Press | News | CommentsFor Bangladesh, where such factories commonly ignore safety as they rush to produce for retailers around the world, the most recent tragedy was unusual only in scope: More than 200 people have died in garment-factory fires in the country since 2006.
OSHA Cites Mississippi Phosphates
November 26, 2012 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMississippi Phosphates Corp. has been cited by the government for 40 safety and health violations following the deaths of two workers in separate incidents at the company's Pascagoula facilities. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says in a news release Monday that it has proposed penalties of $165,900. The company has 15 days to appeal.
Toyota Recalls Pickups; Spare Tires Can Come Loose
November 26, 2012 10:29 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsToyota is recalling about 150,000 Tacoma midsize pickups in the U.S. because the spare tires can fall from beneath the trucks. The recalled trucks from the 2001 to 2004 model years were sold or registered in 20 cold-weather states and Washington, D.C.
Feds Probe BMW Motorcycles For Fuel Leak Problem
November 21, 2012 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the housing around the fuel pump can crack and leak gasoline. No fires or injuries have been reported, but the safety agency has received 28 complaints from owners of the bikes. At least two owners say that gas soaked their pant legs.
Toshiba Shows Four-Legged Robot For Nuke Disaster
November 21, 2012 10:11 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsToshiba Corp. unveiled a robot Wednesday that the company says can withstand high radiation and help in nuclear disasters. But it remains unclear what exactly the new machine will be capable of doing if and when it gets the go-ahead to enter Japan's crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
Chemical Plant Workers Safe From Fire
November 19, 2012 10:14 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAll workers are accounted for and safe after a chemical plant near Dallas erupted in flames. The fire started at the Nexeo Solutions plant in Garland about 3:30 p.m. Friday. Nexeo spokeswoman Christina Reynolds says all 41 workers who were at the plant then are safe.
BP Settles With U.S. For $4.5B In Gulf Spill
November 15, 2012 2:51 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe largest environmental disaster in U.S. history came to reckoning Thursday, as British oil giant BP announced it was paying $4.5 billion in a settlement with the federal government over the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster and two employees were charged with manslaughter over the 11 workers killed. The settlement was the "largest total criminal resolution in the history of the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder said.
NTSB: Collision Safety Tech Should Be Standard
November 14, 2012 2:44 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe government should require automakers to make the latest collision prevention technologies standard equipment on all new cars and trucks, a move that could reduce fatal highway accidents by more than half, federal accident investigators said Wednesday. The technologies include lane departure warning, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and electronic stability control.
General Motors Recalling About 15,600 Cars
November 14, 2012 2:37 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. is recalling about 12,600 Cadillac XTS cars because of problems with the rear headrests, and 2,900 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic vehicles because of a problem with the driver's side air bags. The recall began Monday, and GM said it will notify owners and dealers and replace the head restraints for free.
Toyota Recalls Autos For Steering, Pump Defects
November 14, 2012 10:31 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsToyota Motor Corp. is recalling 2.77 million vehicles around the world for a water pump problem and a steering shaft defect that may result in faulty steering — the latest in a spate of quality woes for Japan's top automaker. No accidents have been reported related to these two problems announced Wednesday, according to Toyota.
Cause Of Packaging Fire Under Investigation
November 13, 2012 1:44 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe cause of a small explosion and fire at American Packaging Corp. in Columbus is under investigation. Fire officials say a sprinkler system helped contain the fire to the room where it started Monday. Workers were evacuated from the building. And, one person thought to be missing was later located outside.
Portales Peanut Butter Plant Remains Idle
November 13, 2012 1:43 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe New Mexico peanut butter plant linked to a salmonella outbreak remains idle as officials wait for federal approval to reopen. Sunland Inc. spokeswoman Katalin Coburn declined Monday to estimate when operations at the country's largest organic peanut processing plant may resume, saying only that officials are awaiting a response from the Food and Drug Administration.
Toyota Tests Cars That Communicate With Each Other
November 12, 2012 10:14 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsToyota is testing car safety systems that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and with the roads they are on in a just completed facility in Japan the size of three baseball stadiums. The cars at the Intelligent Transport System site receive information from sensors and transmitters installed on the streets to minimize the risk of accidents in situations such as missing a red traffic light.
Boeing Sued Over U.S.-Poland Plane That Crash-Landed
November 9, 2012 2:22 pm | by Machael Tarm, Associated Press | News | CommentsPassengers on a plane that crash landed in Poland last year when its landing gear failed to deploy have sued Boeing and the firm that inspected the airliner before it departed New Jersey, claiming physical injuries and lasting emotional distress.
Chrysler To Fix Stalling Problem In Midsize Cars
November 9, 2012 2:19 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChrysler is telling U.S. owners of more than 46,000 midsize cars to take them to dealers to fix a problem that can make the engines stall. Owners of Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers from the 2011 model year are getting notices from the company. The cars have 3.6-Liter V-6 engines. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating in June after getting complaints from drivers.
Chrysler To Recall 919K SUVs To Fix Air Bags
November 9, 2012 10:21 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsChrysler is recalling more than 919,000 older-model Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs worldwide because the air bags can inflate while people are driving them. The recall affects Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years and Libertys from model years 2002 and 2003, according to documents posted Friday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
Welcome To The Matting Zone
November 8, 2012 3:55 pm | by John Engel, Senior Marketing Manager, Cintas Facility Services | Articles | CommentsAccording to the U.S. Department of Labor, slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of industrial accidents. Plant managers and operators should remain aware of the devastating impact these accidents can have on the victim and the plant. While not every accident is preventable, many of the causes of slip-and-fall accidents can be offset through the implementation of a safe floor matting system.
Toyota Announces Scion iQ Recall
November 7, 2012 2:29 pm | News | CommentsToyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), today announced that it will conduct a safety recall involving approximately 11,200 Scion iQ vehicles to inspect the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) weight sensor cables and install new protective covers over the sensors.
Motive Unclear In CA Chicken Plant Shooting
November 7, 2012 10:19 am | by Gosia Wozniacka, Associated Press | News | CommentsThat Lawrence Jones targeted a handful of his co-workers at a chicken-processing plant, killing two of them execution-style, was evident, authorities said. But why he did it remained unclear. The unsuspecting victims had on ear protectors as they worked just feet apart in the deboning room and the grinding room at Valley Protein. The gunshots were drowned out by the machinery.
The Reality Of IP Theft
November 7, 2012 8:38 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | CommentsVerizon has recently released its fifth annual Data Breach Investigations Report, which investigates the various ways that attackers — both internal to a company or external, both intentional and accidental — breach security systems and gain access to sensitive data. This year, Verizon’s RISK team decided to take a closer look at the data in the effort to discover trends in attacks related directly to intellectual property.
Police: 1 Dead, 4 Wounded At CA Workplace
November 6, 2012 2:06 pm | by Gosia Wozniacka, Associated Press | News | CommentsOne person died and four others, including a suspected gunman, were wounded Tuesday when he opened fire at a food service company in Fresno, Calif., police said. The shooting occurred at the Apple Valley Farms plant in the central part of the city.
Hurricane Sandy Central
November 1, 2012 1:57 pm | News | CommentsHurricane Sandy has, without a doubt, already caused an enormous toll on human life and businesses alike. As with all major events, it is important to track the road to recovery. This is where, for the time being, IMPO will compile news about Hurricane Sandy, its aftermath, and how that will affect American manufacturing. This will be consistently updated as more news arrives, so check back often.
Aircraft Repair Company Exec Pleads Guilty
October 31, 2012 2:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn executive at a California airplane repair company has pleaded guilty to endangering aircraft by cutting corners with replacement parts not certified by regulators. The U.S. attorney in Sacramento said Tuesday that Jerry Edward Kuwata, of Granite Bay, admitted to using uncertified parts and falsely certifying that the Federal Aviation Administration approved their use in aircraft repair.
BMW Recalls Cars Over Transmission Problem
October 29, 2012 10:03 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGerman automaker BMW is recalling some of its 7-Series luxury cars due to reports of transmission control problems that can cause parked vehicles to roll away. The NJTSA said that the problem has caused at least 14 crashes and possibly 5 injuries. The recall involves cars with model years from 2005 to 2008 that have push-button start and electronic transmission controls.
