Included grants were:

• Port Security Grant Program: $202 million
• Transit Security Grant Program: $171 million
• Intercity Bus Security Grant Program: $11.6 million
• Buffer Zone Protection Program: $48.5 million
• Trucking Security Grant Program: $11.6 million

The funding is part of nearly $2 billion in grants awarded in the fiscal year 2007 Infrastructure Protection Program.

ESC technology is an automatic, computer-controlled braking system that can prevent drivers from losing control of the vehicle on slippery roads or during emergency maneuvers, preventing collisions and rollover accidents.

The technology, which was made available on just one-third of cars produced in 2006, was likened to seat belts and air bags in terms of the safety benefits. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters remarked that "ten years down the road we will look back at the new ESC technology and wonder how we ever drove a car without it."

Officials estimate that installing ESC on every passenger vehicle could save anywhere from 5,300 to 9,600 lives annually and prevent 238,000 injuries.

Critics of the legislation say the government is offering too lengthy a timetable for installation to accommodate the wishes of automakers.

The average cost of ESC is $111 per vehicle.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker hailed the action, saying, "Legislation requiring vehicle occupants to use seat belts is the single greatest life-saving measure New Hampshire can enact."

Rosenker noted that an earlier trend of declines in traffic fatalities has leveled off since the 1990s. "It is time to move beyond crash mitigation and enter a new era where technology will help prevent accidents," he said. Technologies for crash avoidance, telematics and command control are three advancements that can help improve traffic safety, he said.

The Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 (H.R. 1401) passed the House last March in a 299-124 vote and was sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The bill would authorize $6 billion over the next four years for bus and passenger train safety.

Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-MN, noted in a news release that $135 million was spent last year on mass transit and freight rail security while $4.7 billion was spent on airline safety.

"A passenger on a bus or commuter train should have the same protection as a passenger on an airplane," Oberstar said. "Passage of a robust rail and public transportation security bill by the House of Representatives is long overdue."

Seven people were killed in a March 2 Atlanta accident when the bus they were riding in plunged off an overpass.

During a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit meeting, Chairman Peter A. DeFazio, D-OR, suggested seat belts or other devices might have saved lives in the Atlanta incident. According to Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-MN, FMCSA has come up short on gathering accurate data on bus companies and ensuring those companies comply with federal safety regulations.

The report, prepared for the Senate Special Committee on Aging, noted that older drivers – who represent the fastest-growing U.S. population segment – are more likely to suffer injuries or die in crashes than drivers in other age groups.

Although more than half of states have implemented licensing requirements for older drivers that are more stringent than requirements for younger drivers, states' assessment practices are not comprehensive, the report said.

The North American Free Trade Agreement Trucking Safety Act (H.R. 1756) would prohibit Mexican trucks from entering the United States beyond commercial zones along the border unless they met specific safety and security conditions. In February, the Department of Transportation announced a cross-border program allowing U.S. trucks to enter Mexico and vice versa.

"By submitting Mexican truckers to the same background checks and inspection requirements as their American counterparts, this legislation also includes a very important security element," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-CA, who introduced the bill.

The independent federal agency opened its doors April 1, 1967, when the Bureau of Safety was removed from the Civil Aeronautics Board and became the foundation for the new accident investigation agency. Since then, NTSB has investigated about 130,000 aviation accidents and thousands of highway, rail, marine and pipeline accidents – issuing approximately 12,600 safety recommendations in 40 years.

Quality Control Systems Corp. filed a Freedom of Information Act in late 2005, seeking information on claims made to Ford Motor Co. regarding tire-related incidents in Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer sport utility vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration denied the request, as well as subsequent appeals, prompting the Crownsville-based research company to file a March lawsuit (.pdf file) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The company said the denied data is necessary for its research in understanding why deaths and injuries related to tire failures have occurred after tire recalls for the affected vehicles.

A NHTSA spokesperson declined to comment. According to the filed suit, NHTSA denied the FOIA request due to previous ongoing litigation on disclosing the data, as well as the confidentiality of the information.

Stanford University scientist Mark Jacobson used a computer model to simulate the atmospheric effects on Los Angeles through 2020 if all cars in the United States ran on E85, an alternative fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 is usable in so-called "flex-fuel" vehicles and has been touted as an eco-friendly alternative to gasoline.

According to Jacobson, tests indicate that although a switch to E85 would limit emissions of contaminants such as benzene and butadiene, it would increase levels on ozone-producing contaminants such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde – potentially leading to higher rates of asthma and respiratory illness. According to the study's estimates, ozone-related deaths would increase by 9 percent in Los Angeles and by 4 percent nationwide.

"It can be concluded with confidence only that E85 is unlikely to improve air quality over future gasoline vehicles," Jacobson said.

Globally, people up to 25 years old account for more than 40 percent of the nearly 1.2 million road traffic deaths that occur each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC is focusing on how teens can benefit from graduated driver licensing systems, which grant teen drivers additional driving privileges as they gain experience.

The foundation, sponsored by subsidiaries of Northbrook, IL-based Allstate Insurance Co., surveyed more than 1,000 parents of teen drivers between 15 and 17 years old. Nearly 99 percent of the parents polled believed they need to be a good role model for their child, yet many exhibited dangerous driving behaviors in front of their child such as talking on a cell phone (71 percent) or committing a moving violation (26 percent).

The majority of parents do not even begin to talk to their children about safe driving practices until less than a year before the teens become licensed, the study also found. By contrast, most parents talk to their teenager about the dangers of drugs or peer pressure before the child turns 13 years old. The No. 1 killer of teenagers is traffic crashes caused by teen drivers, the foundation said.

Other results from the survey include:

• 60 percent of parents have never heard or are only vaguely aware of graduated driver licensing laws.
• 88 percent of parents trust their teens to drive safely, but only 31 percent say teens are good drivers.
• 90 percent of parents have allowed their teens to drive after dark; teenagers are twice as likely to crash at night.

“By sharing these survey findings, we hope parents will be more informed and play an active role with their teens and other parents to ultimately make our communities safer and stronger,” Allstate Protection President George Ruebenson said in a statement.

DOE was honored for the model Commodity Flow Surveys the department conducted, which provide data to states and local communities for transportation emergency preparedness. "I'm very proud that the Department of Energy has raised the bar for community-based transportation emergency preparedness," Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said in a press release. "Safety is our No. 1 priority, and we will continue to help local communities be safe and secure."

DOE said its Office of Environment Management safely transported more than 10,000 radioactive shipments in 2005 and 2006. As a result of DOE's work, the National Academy of Sciences is utilizing DOE's approach to develop its own Commodity Flow Survey Guide for community groups throughout the United States.

Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-MA, and Patty Murray, D-WA, introduced the Protecting America's Workers Act in conjunction with a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that examined federal health and safety laws and OSHA enforcement. Kennedy said the bill would expand OSHA coverage to an additional 8.6 million Americans, including flight attendants, state correctional officers and workers in government agencies; beef up OSHA enforcement efforts; and protect workers who speak up about unsafe conditions on the job.

Reps. Lynn Woosley, D-CA, and Phil Hare, D-IL, introduced identical legislation in the House. Woosley said OSHA "has fallen down on its job," and that the bill would ensure safe and healthy workplaces for all workers. The bill also would make some employers liable for felony charges in the event of a worker's death or serious injury.

OSHA first proposed a PPE rule in 1999 that would require employers to pay the costs of protective clothing, lifelines, face shields and other protective equipment, but final disposition was delayed in various stages of rulemaking.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-CA, who had introduced legislation (H.R. 1327) to compel the rule, said she would monitor OSHA to ensure the agency implements the rule by November.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, introduced The Survivors' Empower and Economic Security Act (S.1136) during a subcommittee hearing (.mp3 audio file) focused on domestic violence at work.

According to Murray, more than 70 percent of U.S. workplaces do not have a formal policy addressing workplace violence. Additionally, she said, domestic violence results in 8 million lost workdays annually nationwide and causes half of all victims to lose their jobs. Murray's bill would:

• Allow victims to take off work without penalty to attend court appearances, seek legal advice or receive safety planning help
• Allow victims access to unemployment benefits if terminated or forced out of a job because of abuse
• Prohibit employees or insurance providers from basing decisions on a victim's abuse history
• Strengthen assistance in helping economically vulnerable victims

The Fairness for State and Local Workers Act (H.R. 1517) will widen the act to cover state, county and municipal employees. Federal OSHA currently does not cover public employees. OSHA State Plan states may provide coverage to public-sector workers, but Andrews noted that 26 states have chosen not to do so.

"This plan simply requires all workplaces abide by the same safety and health standards and provides public employees the protections everyone deserves," Andrews said in a statement.

In conjunction with an April 26 hearing called by the Employment and Workplace Subcommittee of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the AFL-CIO released its "Death on the Job" annual report, which provides an analysis of U.S. workplace safety. "There has never been a worse record on worker safety than the current Bush administration," AFL-CIO Director of Safety and Health Peg Seminario said.

The House Education and Labor Committee held an April 24 hearing that focused on OSHA processes for promulgating workplace standards. Critics say the agency's standards-setting process takes too long.

The charges were brought forth by Acting U.S. Attorney James R. Klindt for the Middle District of Florida following a joint investigation with the FBI and Florida's chief financial officer.

The scam involved leasing companies knowingly utilizing an unauthorized entity to issue bogus workers' comp policies throughout the United States, according to a release from the Florida Financial Services Department. Millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained insurance premiums were electronically transferred domestically and internationally, and more than $100 million in forfeiture was being sought by the government, the Department of Justice said.

Two others have already been convicted in federal court for their involvement in the scam. One was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $7 million in victim restitution while the other is facing a possible 20-month prison sentence and $5.8 million restitution order during a May sentencing hearing.

About 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos at work, while employees heavily exposed to secondhand smoke at their jobs have twice the chance of developing lung cancer, compared with workers in smoke-free environments, the Geneva-based organization said in a news release. The most common forms of cancer employees develop from their workplace are lung cancer, mesothelioma and bladder cancer, according to the organization.

Although developed countries have made improvements to occupational safety regulations, work processes involving carcinogens are now being moved to countries with less-stringent enforcement of occupational health standards, according to WHO. The organization urged governments and industries to:

• Stop the use of asbestos
• Provide alternatives to benzene, a leukemia-causing organic solvent
• Ban tobacco use in the workplace

For work done between July 1 and Dec. 31, neither employers nor workers in Washington will have to pay into the Medical Aid Fund premium, Gov. Chris Gregoire, D, announced.

This was expected to save employees and employers – who both have to contribute equally into the fund – about $315 million for the second half of 2007.

Higher than expected investment returns, success in controlling health care costs, and safer workplaces reducing payouts in benefits allowed for this "rate holiday."

Coupled with the holiday, which was temporary and will end Jan. 1, the state also saw a 2 percent decrease in workers' compensation rates for the year.

Researchers studied the physical and mental health of more than 10,000 individuals from various departments and occupational grades in the London civil service between 1995 and 2004. Survey analysis suggested that although physical health declined in all groups, the most rapid decline was seen in workers at lower occupational grades. A 70-year-old in a high-level job was found to have the same physical health as a low-level worker 8 years younger. That gap is an increase from midlife, when it was just 4.5 years.

Researchers also found that while mental health actually improves with age across the board, the improvement was slower for those at lower occupational levels.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol. 167, No. 8), looked at data from a survey of 11,728 people employed by Durham, NC-based Duke who had at least one health risk appraisal between 1997 and 2004. Findings showed overweight workers with a body mass index of more than 40 had 13 times more lost workdays due to work-related injuries than their more-fit co-workers. In addition, medical claim costs were seven times higher for obese workers. 

BMI does not distinguish muscle from fat, but the study also showed medical claims most strongly related to high BMI were lower extremity, wrist or hand, and back. The nature of injuries related to BMI was sprains or strains, contusion or bruises, and pain or inflammation. Obesity and high-risk occupations were found to be particularly detrimental.

In 1994, the estimated cost of obesity to U.S. businesses was $12.7 billion, including $7.7 billion in health care costs alone, the study stated. Researchers recommended businesses reduce rates of work illness and injury related to obesity by continuing to monitor safety and by increasing focus on improving worker health.

The guide highlights the needs, criteria and minimum information required to incorporate plans for people with disabilities. Citing the U.S. Census Bureau data, NFPA said there were about 49 million Americans with one or more disabilities in 2000.

Five general categories of disabilities are covered in the guide: mobility, visual, hearing, speech and cognitive impairments.

“Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Employees from Amputations” (.pdf file) identifies mechanical motions and hazardous actions that could result in an amputation, and provides steps for employers to reduce these hazards.

The guide ties in directly with OHSA's National Emphasis Program on Amputations, which was revised in October 2006.

The voluntary recall pertains to Digital Security Controls FSA and FSB series smoke detectors sold between October and December 2006. The detectors – which could fail to reliably detect smoke – are wired directly into a building's circuitry and do not use a battery. Customers who suspect having one of these detectors should contact their installer to receive a free inspection.

Although batteries of the type commonly found in cell phones, laptops and other electronic equipment pose little risk while contained in the devices they power, the risk increases if the batteries are removed and not stored properly, DOT said. The administration advised passengers to:

• Keep spare batteries in their original retail packaging.
• Cover the terminals of loose batteries with insulating tape to protect against coming into contact with metal.
• Keep multiple batteries in separate cases.
• Pack spare batteries in carry-on luggage rather than checked luggage to expedite handling of an incident.