Damage Prevention & Safety
OSHA Issues Best Practices to Promote Workplace Safety and Health Programs in Construction
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction to help industry employers develop proactive programs to keep their workplaces safe. The recommendations may be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized contractor..
OSHA Cites Company for Safety Violations in Worker's Death
OSHA has cited an Ohio company after a 33-year-old employee was crushed to death in June 2016 as he was digging soil out of a 12-foot trench when the trench walls around him collapsed. He is one of 23 workers killed, and 12 others who reported injuries in trench collapses in 2016. Trench collapses a..
OSHA to Hold Pipeline Safety Meeting
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health’s OSH Professionals Pipeline Work Group. The meeting will be Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. ..
Initiative Boosts Excavation Safety Program To Combine Certification, Performance Monitoring
by Jeff Griffin Senior Editor A new initiative to prevent damage to buried underground utility infrastructure is gaining acceptance and momentum, believes Rick Galyean, administrator of the Gold Shovel Standard program. Galyean describes the Gold Shovel Standard as a first-of-its-kind safety progr..
Engineering Trench Safety Critical Aspect Of Project Success, Costs
Any project that includes excavation is going to require shielding and shoring to prevent excavation walls from collapsing. For large projects, the design and installation of shielding and shoring is itself an extensive project within the project. Manufacturers and suppliers agree that shielding and..
PG&E Becomes First Natural Gas Utility to Obtain Process Safety Certification
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has successfully passed a comprehensive gas safety audit and has been certified to the chemical industry’s RC14001® management system standard. The audit reviewed numerous end-to-end safety processes at the company, ultimately approving PG&E as the first utili..
Building A Culture Of Safety
Third In A Series Construction organizations with positive safety records establish and implement programs designed to eliminate job-site injuries. However, there is another element that appears to set the most safety-conscious companies apart – a culture of safety that permeates the organization fr..
Reminder: August 11 is National 811 Day
With National 811 Day happening this week, here are some more activities and events that are helping to promote the toll-free, call-before-digging phone number and its important damage prevention message: An inaugural 811 Block Party will take place from 4 to 7 pm on Thursday, Aug. 11 in the Kansas..
Nearly Half Of Homeowners Who Dig Are At Risk
In support of National 811 Day on Aug. 11, a Common Ground Alliance (CGA) survey found nearly half (45 percent) of American homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects like landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox, or building a deck, pond or patio, will put themselves and their communities ..
8/11 is National 811 Day
The 11th day of the eighth month of the year, serves as a natural reminder about the important safety message to call 811 before every digging project, no matter how large or small. The national toll-free number connects professionals and homeowners with their local One-call Center so that buried li..
Heath’s RMLD-IS Is An Eye-safe Laser-based Natural Gas Detector
Heath’s intrinsically safe Remote Methane Leak Detector (RMLD-IS) is an eye-safe laser-based natural gas detector (methane) that can quickly and efficiently detect leaks up to one hundred feet away allowing remote detection of difficult to access places such as; busy roadways, locked yards, undergro..
2nd In A Series: Building A Culture Of Construction Safety
by Jeff Griffin Senior Editor Working in construction carries potential dangers, and the level of danger varies with the type of work being performed – certainly underground construction poses risks specific to that industry. No one wants to get hurt, and owners and managers of construction firms wa..
North Dakota Gets $240K for Pipeline Safety Programs
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the state $240,000 for pipeline safety programs. The federal funds were granted to reimburse the state for public safety programs, including inspection and enforcement of pipeline safety regulations, incident investigations and ..
Obama Approves Pipeline Safety Legislation
President Obama has signed the PIPES Act into law, which: Reauthorizes various programs of the Transportation Department’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration through FY 2019 Requires DOT to develop minimum safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities Aut..
Flint-Inspired Water Infrastructure Bill Takes First Step Forward
A Senate committee passed a bill authorizing a new $100 million fund for cities like Flint, MI, which have drinking water emergencies on April 29. The bill also fully funds $70 million (i.e. no separate appropriation is needed) for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Fin..
PG&E fined $24.3M for Poor Record Keeping on Gas Pipelines
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — State regulators are seeking $24.3 million in penalties from California’s largest utility for failing to maintain accurate records of its natural gas distribution system. The California Public Utilities Commission said Wednesday that it has already fined Pacific Gas and Electric..
EPA Reaches Settlement with Acme Foundry for Industrial Stormwater Violations
EPA Region 7 reached an administrative settlement with Acme Foundry, Inc to resolve industrial stormwater violations under the Clean Water Act. Under the settlement, Acme Foundry must comply with its industrial stormwater permit, pay a penalty of $28,975, and implement a Supplemental Environmental P..
New Pipeline Safety Proposal Contains Multiple New Requirements
Pipeline industry executives are pouring over the 500-plus page pipeline safety proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an effort that will take some time before informed comments can be made. The initial comment deadline is at the end of May. “The typical 6..
Northwest Gas Association to Contractors and Homeowners: Call 811 Before Digging
The Northwest Gas Association urges contractors and homeowners to “know what’s below” by calling 811 before digging. Idaho, Oregon and Washington law requires anyone who plans to dig more than 12 inches deep for any reason to call and notify 811 at least two business days prior to digging. Calling 8..
S&N Announces New Director Of Safety and Risk Management
S&N announced the hiring of Jannine Allen as the company’s new Director of Safety and Risk Management. Allen most recently served as the lead health and safety professional at Oconee Nuclear Station’s Major Projects organization in Seneca, SC. Prior to her time at Oconee Nuclear Station, Allen held ..
Slide Rail Shoring System Can Be Used In A Number Of Configurations
The Slide Rail Shoring System from American Shoring is a versatile sheeting system that can be used in a number of different configurations, namely the bore pit configuration, commonly used when contractors need to bore under a roadway, stream, or other obstacle. The Slide Rail System can be used at..
Contractor Installs Large Diameter Pipeline Aimed At Alleviating Flint Crisis With Long-Term Solution
In the wake of the Flint, MI water crisis, a huge spotlight has been turned on infrastructure in America – specifically the country’s miles-long network of aging underground water pipes. While there are new short-term efforts to bring fresh water into Flint, plans have been in the works for several ..
The DCA Safety Award: Building A Culture Of Safety
Each year the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) recognizes member contractors for achieving outstanding safety records the previous year. The DCA has been recognizing safe practices with the award since 1986. In recent years, about 85 companies have submitted entries. The award’s namesake, ..
Efficiency's modular aluminum trench shielding system, Build-A-Box
Compatible with XLAP aluminum shields is Efficiency Production’s modular aluminum trench shielding system, Build-A-Box. Build-A-Box component panels, corner posts, and accessories can be transported in a pick-up truck, and easily assembled by hand into two, three, or 4-sided shielding configurations..
Flint Crisis Stirring Possible Congressional Action
The efforts in the Senate to address water infrastructure funding needs in the wake of the Flint crisis appear to have born their first fruits. At the end of February, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, announced an agreement with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (..
National Safe Digging Month 2016 One Call List
Whether you are a professional excavator, contractor, engineer or utility owner, you play an important role keeping people safe with every dig. Laws governing excavation vary by state, and they can be confusing. Answering the question, “Do I have to call 811?” can be difficult if you don’t understan..
INGAA, CEPA Boards Vote To Certify Pipeline Inspectors By 2018
The board of directors for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of American (INGAA) and INGAA Foundation, along with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) and the CEPA Foundation, voted to endorse a program tailored to certify pipeline inspectors conducting work for their member companie..
Ring-O-Matic HiCFM 850VX offers greatest suction capability of their skid, truck, and trailer mounted designs
Ring-O-Matic HiCFM 850VX offers the greatest suction capability of their skid, truck, and trailer mounted designs. Applications for the HiCFM 850VX include key-holing or potholing buried utilities; cleaning out storm drains; catch basins; drilling fluids; valve boxes; slot trenching; or, assisting i..
Companies Pioneer Pipeline Safety Leadership Program Focused On Accountability, Culture
Caterpillar, in collaboration with PipeLine Machinery International, Inc. (PLM) and an assembly of industry-leading companies, announces the Pipeline Safety Leadership Program, a first-of-its-kind training course specifically targeting pipeliners. The program aims to support the industry as it shift..
FERC Investigates Potential Overcharging At Four Pipelines
It is not unprecedented that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) investigates potential overcharging at pipelines, as it announced it was doing in late January. But it doesn’t happen very frequently, just three other times since 2009. The agency announced on Jan. 21, that it will initiat..
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- Hudson Tunnel Project set to generate 95,000 jobs during construction phase, report says
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Fiber infrastructure has no known expiration date, Fiber Broadband Association research concludes
- Charleston Water System settles huge lawsuit over sewer system damage caused by non-flushable wipes
- Ditch Witch 1030
- 24th Annual Directional Drilling Survey
- Michigan lawmakers introduce bills to create septic codes throughout the state
- Indiana American Water to gain 8,000 water customers with Silver Creek Water acquisition
- House passes Rep. Duarte's legislation to streamline water permitting processes in the Valley