Safety

Nearly 250 Laid Off At WA Hanford Nuclear Site

March 20, 2013 1:52 pm | by Shannon Dininny, Associated Press | News | Comments

State and federal officials are still analyzing the impact of layoffs and furloughs at south-central Washington's Hanford Nuclear Reservation, but outsiders say they are sure to slow cleanup at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.

March 2013 iPurchase

March 20, 2013 11:44 am | Digital Editions | Comments

Walk through the latest trends in safety equipment and compliance issues relating to the manufacturing environment, including an analysis on investment requirements for meeting regulations, a look at how new PPE design elements translate to better adoption on the plant floor, a review of recent safety disasters, and an outline of resources that can help manufacturers continuously improve their safety programs.

GM Recalls 34K Vehicles To Fix Transmissions

March 20, 2013 10:07 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

General Motors is recalling nearly 34,000 Buicks and Cadillacs in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere to fix a problem with the automatic transmissions. The recall affects Buick LaCrosse full-size cars and Cadillac SRX crossover SUVs from the 2013 model year.

Transocean CEO: Rig Workers Should Have Done More

March 20, 2013 10:05 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

Transocean employees should have done more to detect signs of trouble before the company's drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, killing 11 workers and triggering the nation's worst offshore oil spill, Transocean's chief executive testified Tuesday.

Congress Silent On Dreamliner Woes

March 19, 2013 1:53 pm | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | Comments

As Boeing, its airline customers and federal safety regulators struggled over the past two months to solve problems with the new 787 Dreamliner's fire-plagued batteries, one player has been strangely silent: Congress. Despite the plane's grounding and the safety issues raised by its cutting-edge technology, there have been no congressional hearings or news conferences focusing on the problems.

U.S. Safety Officials Probe Mercedes Fuel Leaks

March 19, 2013 9:42 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

U.S. safety regulators are investigating reports of fuel leaks in about 250,000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Mercedes have received 533 complaints from owners about a strong odor of gasoline, mainly after refueling. The agency says fuel may be leaking from the upper part of the gas tank.

Toyota Recalls 209,000 FJ Cruisers

March 18, 2013 4:26 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 209,000 FJ Cruiser SUVs because their front seatbelt retractors could fall off. FJ Cruisers from the 2007 through 2013 model years are included in the recall. Toyota said the driver and front passenger seatbelts are mounted on the vehicle's rear doors.

Cyber Attacks A Leading Threat Against U.S.

March 18, 2013 1:06 pm | by NBC News | Videos | Comments

For the first time, the U.S. intelligence community says cyber attacks and cyber espionage—not terrorism—are the top threats to national security. Now the Pentagon is forming 13 teams to guard the nation in cyberspace. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports.

Chrysler Recalls Dodge Challengers For Fire Risk

March 18, 2013 10:19 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Chrysler is telling owners of about 2,500 Dodge Challenger muscle cars with V-6 engines not to drive them because a short in a wiring circuit can set them on fire. Owners also are being told not to park the cars in a garage or near a structure until the problem can be fixed.

BP Seeks To Block Gulf Spill Settlement Payments

March 18, 2013 10:17 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

BP sued Friday to block what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The London-based oil giant accused the court-appointed administrator for the settlement, Patrick Juneau, of trying to rewrite the terms of the deal. BP said Juneau violated the settlement in the way he used a complex formula to determine the payments to businesses.

OR Bill Would Phase Out Chemicals Toxic To Kids

March 18, 2013 10:16 am | by Jeff Barnard, AP Environmental Writer | News | Comments

A bill before the Legislature would set up a state database to track the use of 19 chemicals in manufactured products shown to be harmful to children, and work with manufacturers to phase out use of the chemicals over five years. The bi-partisan bill is patterned after a law in Washington state.

Boeing: Commercial 787 Flights To Restart In Weeks

March 15, 2013 2:01 pm | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

Boeing said Friday it sees commercial flights of its grounded 787 jets resuming "within weeks" even though it has not pinpointed the cause of battery overheating. Boeing Co. Chief Project Engineer Michael Sinnett outlined a fix centered on a new design for the lithium-ion battery system that has layers of safeguards to prevent overheating and measures to contain malfunctions.

$2.25M Penalty For MO Pharmaceuticals Plant

March 15, 2013 10:10 am | by Jim Salter, Associated Press | News | Comments

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. will pay a $2.25 million penalty for violations that included allowing fluorescent green discharge into a river at its plant in northeast Missouri, state and federal officials said Thursday. Teva makes antibiotics at a plant outside of Mexico, Mo., about 120 miles northwest of St. Louis.

Honda Recalls 57K Vehicles Due To Brake Problem

March 14, 2013 1:49 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Honda Motor Co. reported to the transport ministry Thursday it is recalling a total of 56,839 units of its Odyssey, Legend, Elysion and Step WGN passenger cars because of problems with the system designed to control vehicle stability. Subject to the recall are the four models made between April 2004 and May 2006, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Boeing Flies High On 787 Battery Hopes

March 14, 2013 12:04 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | Comments

The Dreamliner may still be grounded, but Boeing's stock has come roaring back lately as investors feel the worst is over. It's now outperforming the Dow. The FAA has given Boeing the go ahead on new solutions for the lithium battery issue, and that may be boosting investors' confidence in the company again.

Indispensible Leak Detection

March 13, 2013 4:31 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | Comments

A technician holds a wand to the major piping connections of the air conditioner and waits for a device to alarm if a leak is detected. The technician is not looking for the level of refrigerant along the automotive assembly line, he is looking for whether the refrigerant is leaking from any fitting at a rate greater than preset tolerable limits and trying to locate where the leak is.

Worker: Rig Was Bustling Before BP Well Blowout

March 13, 2013 2:05 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

A worker who survived the deadly explosion on the Deepwater Horizon testified Wednesday that a flurry of activity on the drilling rig hindered his ability to monitor BP's well for signs of trouble before the April 2010 blowout. Joseph Keith, the second rig worker to testify in person at a federal trial over the disaster, said he never saw any indications that a blowout was brewing.

FAA Approves Boeing Plan To Fix 787's Batteries

March 13, 2013 10:26 am | by Joan Lowy, Joshua Freed, Associated Press | News | Comments

A Boeing plan to redesign the 787 Dreamliner's fire-plagued lithium-ion batteries won approval Tuesday from the Federal Aviation Administration, moving the cutting-edge planes a step closer to flying passengers again. The plan includes changes to the internal battery components to minimize the possibility of short-circuiting, which can lead to overheating and cause a fire.

Nissan Recalls 5 Models For Air Bag Problem

March 13, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Nissan is recalling five of its 2013 models in the U.S. because a faulty sensor can permanently turn off the front-seat passenger air bag. The recall covers the Altima midsize car, as well as the Leaf electric car, Pathfinder SUV and the Sentra compact. Also covered is the Infiniti JX35 SUV.

Feds Could Add A Million GM Midsize Cars To Recall

March 12, 2013 1:59 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | Comments

Safety regulators in the U.S. are investigating whether to add more than a million General Motors midsize cars to a recall for brake light problems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it's checking into complaints about the 2004 to 2011 Chevrolet Malibu and the 2007 to 2009 Saturn Aura.

M'bishi Heavy Aware Of Problem Before Radiation Leak

March 11, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and a local utility firm in California were aware of a design flaw in Mitsubishi-made steam generators for a California nuclear reactor before a radiation leak in January 2012, according to a document recently released by the U.S. nuclear regulator.

Understanding Your Liability: Shipping Lithium Battery Powered Devices

March 11, 2013 9:08 am | by Jim Powell, President, Transportation Development Group LLC | Articles | Comments

The current plight of Boeing highlights not only the safety risks, but also the commercial risks of lithium battery-powered products and devices. These days, rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and primary non-rechargeable lithium batteries are everywhere. And unfortunately, they are also considered “Dangerous Goods” (or “HazMat,” a term used in the U.S.).

Boeing 787 Battery Fire Was Difficult To Control

March 8, 2013 2:15 pm | by Joan Lowy, Joshua Freed, Associated Press | News | Comments

The 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.

Feds Close Probe Into Ford Unintended Acceleration

March 8, 2013 2:11 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A U.S. safety agency has ended an investigation into complaints of unintended acceleration in three Ford vehicles. The probe covered about 169,000 Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans, and Ford Freestyle wagons from the 2005 through 2007 model years.

At least 2 Critically Hurt In IL Steel Plant Blast

March 8, 2013 10:18 am | by Jim Salter, Jim Suhr, Associated Press | News | Comments

At least 10 people were injured, including two critically, in an explosion Thursday at a steel castings plant in southwestern Illinois, officials said. The blast happened shortly after 8 a.m. in the cleaning-and-finishing department at the American Steel Foundries plant in Granite City, just northeast of St. Louis.