tagged w/ Health and Safety
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New nuclear reactors set to be OK'd for Georgia
By Steve Hargreaves @CNNMoney
February 8, 2012: 3:33 PM ET
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to approve the construction of two new reactors at Georgia's Vogtle plant, seen here. It would be the first new construction license for a reactor granted in over 30 years.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) --
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to approve licenses to build two new nuclear reactors on Thursday, the first approvals in over 30 years.
The reactors are being built in Georgia by a consortium of utilities led by Southern Co. (SO, Fortune 500) They will be sited at the Vogtle nuclear power plant complex, about 170 miles east of Atlanta. The plant already houses two older reactors.
Spokespeople for Southern Co. and the NRC were quiet on the matter Wednesday ahead of the vote set for Thursday at 1 PM ET. If approved, NRC staff would likely issue a construction and operating license within the next few days.
Although new nuclear reactors have been built in this country within the last couple of decades -- the last one started operation in 1996 -- the NRC hasn't issued a license to build a new reactor since 1978, a year before the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. The reactors that have opened in the last decades were approved before 1978.
The combination of the Three Mile Island incident and the high costs of nuclear power turned many utilities away from the technology.
There are currently 104 operating nuclear reactors at 64 plants across the country that provide the nation with roughly 20% of its power. Half are over 30 years old.
The utilities building the new Vogtle reactors submitted their application seven years ago. Prep-work at the site has been under way for some time, but the actual reactors can't be built until NRC issues the final license.
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How close is your home to a nuclear plant?
The new reactors are a Westinghouse design called the AP 1000. Together they are expected to cost $14 billion and provide 2200 megawatts of power, according to a spokesman for Southern Co. That's enough to power 1 million homes.
The plants are being built with the help of a conditional $8.3 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. The loan guarantee is part of DOE's broader loan program that has been criticized for backing companies like Solyndra, the bankrupt maker of solar panels.
The Southern spokesman said the loan guarantee, combined with other regulatory measures, enable the project to receive cheaper financing that will ultimately save ratepayers $1 billion.
The first reactor is expected to come online in 2016 and the second one in 2017, according to Southern Co.
The AP 1000 is the newest NRC-approved nuclear reactor. This would be the first one built in the United States, although four are already under construction in China, said Scott Shaw, a Westinghouse spokesman.
Critics have said the containment walls of the AP 1000 aren't strong enough to withstand a terrorist attack, but Shaw says they were redesigned after September 11, 2001 and have held up during simulations.
He also said the design's passive cooling system makes it much safer than older designs. The AP 1000 uses gravity and condensation -- not electricity -- to cool the fuel rods.
It was the loss of electric power that led to the meltdown of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi reactors following the tsunami in 2011.
Still, a coalition of nine mostly regional environmental groups say the current design is not safe. They are asking the NRC to delay its decision Thursday until they can file a challenge in federal court.
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First Published: February 8, 2012: 2:20 PM ET
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to approve the construction of two new reactors at Georgia's Vogtle plant, seen here. It would be the first new construction license for a reactor granted in over 30 years.
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New nuclear reactors set to be OK'd for Georgia
By Steve... more
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Ladder Training is mostly useful when we are working at heights. Because when we are working on a high level we have to think about perfect works and also think about safety. For that, some of companies and some groups provide training in related work. It is a perfect courses established to provide perfect training with the correct methods to learn ladder use with the proper type of protection tool. In ladder safety training you will learn some basic safety terms about how to work using a ladder at height and also you will learn how to take a safety position, climb on it and inspect a ladder and also give you knowledge about how to handle a ladder and to know about ladder capacity.
As a natural and logical extension of its activities, the Ladder industries operates a national training course for users, supervisors and managers wanting to equip themselves with the knowledge, skills and confidence which is necessary to use ladders legally and safely. You have to be familiar with some objectives when you are working on a height. The usage of a correct ladder depends on a place also on visually inspection of the ladder and its related parts before use of the work and after the use of it.
These courses includes some contents like understanding the measure between fall arrest and control, the importance of accurate place, perfect knowledge about the method of correct fitting, usage and inspection of fall protection equipment, securing leaning ladders and using fall protection parts, appreciate the standards for roof safety and the danger might be avoided. Procedure for portable ladders onto a roof, Safety transfer techniques from a ladder to a pitched roof using fall protection and most important is self rescue Techniques from a Leaning Ladder.
This course is a mix up of theory and practical. In these installation techniques will be mentioned and also give a chances for all to show their knowledge in practice. Using extensive knowledge of height safety and expertise in specialist safety critical manufacturing, has allowed us to develop a substantial premium range of ladder safety products. They will have a good knowledge and a correct understanding of the principals of using a ladder safely and also understand the risks when using ladders and Step ladder safety and will be able to put into practice safe procedures when using them. After completion of training course candidates have confidence and technical competence to work at height.Ladder Training is mostly useful when we are working at heights. Because when we are... more
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The broadway production "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark", has been pushed back again to 2011 over safety grounds for the flying sequences.
The planned production, costing $60m or roughly £37m, was pushed back from their re-arranged December 21st launch after safety inspectors found that two dozen ariel sections required inspecting. A separate health and safety inspection is currently underway for another incident involving a slingshot-style manoeuvre that broke an actor's wrists.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8113567/Spider-Man-defeated-by-arch-enemy-health-and-safety.htmlThe broadway production "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark", has been pushed... more
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It’s a tradition most sensible people would regard as no more dangerous than a good old egg and spoon or sack race, but now hospital bosses have issued a bizarre Halloween health and safety warning on the "extreme" dangers of apple bobbing. Participants have been advised to wear goggles, remove stalks and use bottled water as Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust issued a statement saying that a ‘high-velocity impact with an apple’ had the potential to cause serious eye injury, while dirty water could lead to infection or blindness.Parwez Hossain, the hospital’s eye consultant, even suggested contestants remove the apples from the water with their hands instead of their mouth.
More health and safety craziness
Below we have listed some of our favourite crazy health and safety warnings, and yes they are all true.
Mistletoe + Christmas Party = Sexual harassment
In 2004 the ultimate party poopers over at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents informed the unions that employers shouldn’t put up any mistletoe in their offices in case it encourages sexual harassment.
Uni students banned from tossing their hats
In 2008 the bosses at Anglia Ruskin University decided that their happy graduates could no longer chuck their mortarboards in the air for fears that a student could be seriously injured by the corner of one of the square caps.
Council removes goalposts on pitch in fear of ramblers walking into them at night…
Maybe Cheshire County Council had just had enough of footballers taking over their area when they decided to remove the goalposts on a local playing field. A health and safety inspection deemed the posts dangerous to walkers who could hit their heads on them whilst carefully studying their maps at night so decided to move them.
Foam floats banned from swimming pools
The floats were banned from the Dudley swimming pool because the local Council feared that children and adults could accidentally be whacked over the head by (one can only assume) aggressive foam wielding swimmers. Maybe the Council would prefer beginners to use other swimmers as floating devices?
The bonkers war on conkers
It seems adults have forgotten how fun it is to smash things into pieces! In order to prevent his students from getting potential conker shrapnel in their eyes, the safety conscious head teacher Shaun Halfpenny at Cummersdale Primary School in Carlisle made his students wear safety goggles before playing, "It's just being sensible, we live in a litigious society," he said. South Tyneside District Council went a step further and decided to chop down their horse chestnut trees and plant some safer species after kids in the area climbed up and fell down. The local head teacher at nearby Ashley Primary School, Phil Grice, condemned the move and said: "Initially I understood the concerns over health and safety, but this is just common sense gone out the window.” Maybe there is hope for kids after all…
It’s a tradition most sensible people would regard as no more dangerous than a... more
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Due to the issues surrounding the closed Pocket Park, Silwood Video Group contacted SafePlay, the company named by London & Quadrant representative, Melanie Banton, as being responsible for its maintenance. The reason given by L & Q for the park having remained closed all summer, when residents were promised back in May that it would be open, was said to be loose screws and other minor tweeks waiting to be done.
According to SafePlay, however: “I am afraid we have had no instruction to carry out any works at this play area. Almost two years ago we quoted to install some new equipment but we did not win the tender, that was the extent of our involvement.”
Silwood Video Group have emailed L & Q with this information and await a reply. We also asked them why, when they are reporting more than 50,000 per year profit from the Lewington Centre, they cannot pay for someone to open and shut the pocket park, rather than relying a volunteer to do it. L+Q’s failure to “attract” a volunteer is widely held by residents to be the true reason the pocket park has remained shut all summer. We have invited them to confirm or deny these rumours.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/silwood-video-group/the-pocket-park-safeplays-response/Due to the issues surrounding the closed Pocket Park, Silwood Video Group contacted... more
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In another Health and Safety case Firefighters in Norfolk have been banned from playing football due to fears that they could injure themselves, putting them out of action in the firefighting business.
The chief fire officer at the brigade said that sports played by the full time staff account for 30% of all injuries.
However union officials say playing sports within brigades is a great way to team bond which is a hugely important aspect when it comes to serving in such a dangerous career.
"While I agree that football and volleyball are great sports, we have unfortunately had a number of incidents where firefighters have injured themselves playing sport while on duty," Mr Elliott said.
What do you think, stupid rule or a good reason to stop them playing sports?In another Health and Safety case Firefighters in Norfolk have been banned from... more
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"Cambridge Eye-novations" of Cambridge, Massachusetts is developing contact lenses that can automatically dispense drugs to the eye for up to 30 days at a time.
The new contact lenses are also made from hydrogel, which includes a special polymer that holds the actual drug. The medication is slowly released at a rate controlled by the specific properties of the polymer and the hydrogel. Researchers have formulated a hydrogel and polymer combination capable of releasing drugs for a period of 100 days, well over the 30 day maximum imposed on single use contact lenses by the Food and Drug Administration.
The team also hopes to experiment with other drugs that can't currently be dispensed through eye drops but nevertheless may be beneficial to eye patients."Cambridge Eye-novations" of Cambridge, Massachusetts is developing contact... more
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Such irony in this photograph.
My hometown, Sacramento, have gained media attention from Oprah, "Today" on NBC, CNN, and UK Telegraph News for the growing tents around an old industrial district in the past few days. Sacramento homeless shelter are all fulled up and no single occupancy rooms/hotels are available, so many people out of their homes have no choice but to live in tents. It is definitely the sign of the times.Such irony in this photograph.
My hometown, Sacramento, have gained media attention... more
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Sydney Residents Fear the Effects of Electrosmog video here: http://www.electrosmog.com.au/7news_esmog.htm
Videos from http://www.electrosmog.com.au/threat.htm
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Radio Frequency ( RF) & Microwave Prevention Tips from Safe Living Technologies
Excerpt:
"Avoid the use of cordless telephones. Most new models (DECT) base stations constantly transmit RF radiation even when they are not in use.
If a cordless phone is necessary, choose 900 MHz cordless phone before higher frequency phones. Most 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz phones base stations constantly broadcast where as the majority of 900 MHz phones do not. Also the 900 MHz cordless phones use an analogue signal where the 2.4 GHz and the 5.8 GHz phones use more biologically damaging pulsed digital signals."
There's more tips and info at : http://www.safelivingtechnologies.ca/EMF_Safety_Tips.htm
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Here's an interesting PDF on DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) wireless technologies.
"Medical warnings needed on DECT cordless phone use"
http://www.emfacts.com/papers/dect.pdfSydney Residents Fear the Effects of Electrosmog video here:... more
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Answer - by playing fetch with one.
Owners are being advised that to protect their pets from accidental stabbing or choking, they should never throw sticks. Instead they should use rubber throwing toys or a suitably sized ball.Answer - by playing fetch with one.
Owners are being advised that to protect their... more
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Dr Joe Phillip says families should watch out when travelling to this holiday season with young boys because unfamiliar bathrooms can cause big problems - he has compiled a report of four boys under the age of four who suffered damage to their penises after a heavy toilet lid fell down. Ouch.Dr Joe Phillip says families should watch out when travelling to this holiday season... more
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Health inspectors have shut down an Indian takeaway after a customer found a live cockroach in their food.
- That's right, they said LIVE, the cockaroach was inside of their curry of an Indian restaurant.
- I work in a deli and we have some cockroaches from time to time. However, at least we bring in an exterminator when we notice them, repair any holes and such. This article and many like it really turn me off to eating out.Health inspectors have shut down an Indian takeaway after a customer found a live... more
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Sydney eastern suburbs drinking hole the Coogee Bay Hotel is at the centre of a scandal involving the serving of human faecal matter in a bowl of ice cream, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
Queens Park builder Steve Whyte has conducted an independent laboratory test on a dessert spoon-sized amount of brown substance that was served in a bowl of ice cream to his wife and three children at the Coogee Bay's brasserie during a grand-final lunch on Sunday, October 5.
The family alleges hotel staff served them a large bowl of ice cream covering what looked like "compacted chocolate".
The laboratory report by the Federal Government's National Measurement Institute confirms that the matter served to the Whyte family - and partly consumed by Mr Whyte's wife, Jessica - "has an offensive odour and physical properties similar to human excreta ... and to contain fragments of a variety of plant matter typical of excreta".
EEEEeeeuuuuggghhhhhh!Sydney eastern suburbs drinking hole the Coogee Bay Hotel is at the centre of a... more
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Skin experts are warning mobile phone users to watch out- they could develop rashes on their faces, ears, and even fingers. The rash is caused by an allergic reaction to nickel. 30% of the UK population is thought to be allergic to nickel, but woman are particularly at risk for developng phone rashes.
The rash won't appear by just picking up a phone with nickel in it though - you'll need to be chatting on your mobile for quite a bit before it will break out.
To me, this sounds like another case of people spending too much time on electronics. If your skin starts to rash up, maybe it's a warning sign to hang up the phone and talk to some real people. Thoughts?Skin experts are warning mobile phone users to watch out- they could develop rashes on... more
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China's government vowed "serious punishment" on Friday after a major dairy recalled 700 tons of milk powder linked to a rash of kidney stones in infants in a case that reignited fears about Chinese product safety.
U.S. authorities warned American consumers to avoid all Chinese infant formula. A New Zealand company that owns a stake in the Chinese producer said it believed none of the powder was exported from China.
Sanlu Group Co., China's biggest milk powder producer, ordered the recall after more than 50 babies suffered kidney stones and one died, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said tests found it was tainted with melamine, a chemical used in plastics.
Melamine is the chemical involved in a massive pet food recall last year. It is not supposed to be added to food, but suppliers in China sometimes mix it in to make food appear to be high in protein. Melamine is nitrogen rich, and standard tests for protein in bulk food ingredients measure levels of nitrogen.
The Health Ministry launched a nationwide investigation, ordering local officials to report all possible cases and "is urgently organizing experts to conduct research and treatment," a ministry statement said.
Fonterra Co-operative Group, a New Zealand dairy farmers' group that owns 43% of Sanlu, said it was advised the company had a "quality issue in its products as a result of receiving defective milk in China."
The milk powder is sold in China under the name Sanlu Bei Bei Infant Powder.
"Those responsible will face serious punishment," said a Health Ministry spokesman, Mao Qunan, quoted by Xinhua. The agency said investigators concluded the chemical was added when the milk was purchased from farmers but gave no other details. It said 78 "suspicious people" were summoned for questioning.
Sanlu Group Co., China's biggest milk powder producer, ordered the recall after more than 50 babies suffered kidney stones and one died, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said tests found it was tainted with melamine, a chemical used in plastics.
"Those responsible will face serious punishment," said a Health Ministry spokesman, Mao Qunan, quoted by Xinhua. The agency said investigators concluded the chemical was added when the milk was purchased from farmers but gave no other details. It said 78 "suspicious people" were summoned for questioning.
In Washington, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid infant formula from China. Authorities said Chinese formula is not approved for importation into the United States but might be sold at ethnic grocery stores.
"We're concerned that there may be some infant formula that may have gotten into the United States illegally and may be on the ethnic market," said Janice Oliver, deputy director of the FDA's food safety program.China's government vowed "serious punishment" on Friday after a major... more
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Health-and-safety chiefs have banned an avid recycler from taking rubbish to his village tip in a wheelbarrow - telling him to bring it by car.
For the last eight years Andre Wheeler has loaded his glass, cans, paper and garden waste onto his barrow before setting off to the tip.
But now he's been told that wheeling the barrow onto the site is too dangerous and he must join the queues of motorists who deliver their rubbish by car.
The 61-year-old, a design and technology teacher, said: 'It's too ridiculous for words. Telling me to burn petrol to drive to the recycling bins is hardly going to save the the planet.
'I passionately believe in recycling and I use the barrow for environmental reasons.'
He added: 'Walking there keeps me fit - but now I've been banned for health-and-safety reasons.'
Mr Wheeler, who is chairman of Barwell Parish Council in Leicestershire, said staff at the tip had told him the lack of footpaths at the site meant he could get knocked down.Health-and-safety chiefs have banned an avid recycler from taking rubbish to his... more
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Booze, a hamlet of 11 houses in West Yorkshire, has had its postal service cancelled because the road leading to the hamlet is "too steep". A letter giving residents three weeks' notice said: "The road is extremely narrow and is potentially an accident waiting to happen."
Obviously the residents of Booze aren't too happy about all of this, a local farmers wife said "The whole hamlet is in uproar about it".
The Postie in question has a bad back, and any further attempts to get up the long narrow hill will only serve to make it worse, say Royal Mail, who now seemingly legislate for anything that is "potentially an accident waiting to happen" which to my understanding is just about everything ever.
Booze is 400ft above sea level and despite its name it doesn't even have a pub, after 400ft of climbing I'd imagine that's a bit of a let down.
Booze, a hamlet of 11 houses in West Yorkshire, has had its postal service cancelled... more
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Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells behind the wheel that led to deadly crashes on highways. Hundreds of thousands of drivers carry commercial licenses even though they also qualify for full federal disability payments, according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press.
The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more.
The U.S. agency responsible for cracking down on unfit truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, acknowledges it hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001.
One would set minimum standards for determining whether truckers are medically safe to drive. Another would prevent truckers from "doctor shopping" to find a physician who might overlook a risky health condition.
Major public safety problem
"We have a major public safety problem, and we haven't corrected it," said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director at the Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, whose members include consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies. "You have an agency that is favorably disposed to maintaining the integrity of the industry's economic situation."
Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to a review by the AP of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available.
Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were states where drivers were sanctioned most frequently for breaking medical rules, such as failing to carry a valid medical certificate. Those 12 states accounted for half of all such violations in the United States.
Consider these cases:
* A Florida bus driver who suffers from lung disease and uses three daily inhalers to control breathing told congressional investigators that he "occasionally blacks out and forgets things." He works as a substitute driver despite not having a medical certificate, and his commercial license expires in 2010. The man has collected Social Security benefits since 1994. He confided to investigators that he "gets winded" walking to his mailbox but has no problem driving a passenger bus.
* A Virginia trucker with a prosthetic leg from a farm accident more than 10 years ago is permitted to drive tanker trucks until at least 2012, even though he doesn't have the proper federal paperwork required for amputees. Virginia revoked the medical license for the official who approved him to drive over charges the official was caught illegally distributing controlled substances.
* George Albright Jr., 61, smashed his 70,000-pound tractor-trailer into congested traffic on Interstate 70 in June 2006, killing four women in a Ford sedan near Columbia, Missouri. Albright's employer agreed earlier this year to pay $18 million in a settlement. A Missouri jury acquitted Albright this month on four counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, after his lawyers argued in court that a diabetic episode "put him in an altered state of consciousness." Albright wasn't injured.
Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States have suffered seizures, heart... more
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We were commissioned to make Health and Safety videos for a leading cosmetics factory in Leeds, West Yorkshire. We decided to create a fictional storyline with comedy elements to make a health and safety video 'enjoyable' to watch, but most importantly, so that those watching it would remember what it informed them about.We were commissioned to make Health and Safety videos for a leading cosmetics factory... more
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Fifteen people have been killed in Ecuador's capital, Quito, after flames started by fireworks swept through a nightclub last night. Around 45 people were injured.
The fire was apparently set off by a pyrotechnics show gone wrong during the concert attended by hundreds of people at the Factory.
People were trapped inside as "the exit doors were closed and padlocked", Jaime Benalcazar, Quito's fire chief, said. Officials removed 14 "completely burned" bodies.Fifteen people have been killed in Ecuador's capital, Quito, after flames started... more
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