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Washington – Video event recorders, lane departure warning systems, collision mitigation systems, transponders and other safety devices may now be mounted on the inside windshield of commercial motor vehicles, according to a final rule published Sept. 23 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is urging miners to exercise extreme caution in and around vacuum trucks because of potentially life-threatening hazards, according to a safety alert released Sept. 27.

Should the federal government regulate obstructive sleep apnea among transportation workers such as truck drivers and train operators? Stakeholders have used a recent public comment period to express support for, and opposition to, the proposal.

Washington – Should first-year medical residents be allowed to work shifts longer than 16 hours? The vast majority of respondents to a recent poll say “no.”

Oklahoma City – Jonnie Yvonne Vasquez occasionally needed to lift shoe boxes as part of her job at a department store in Oklahoma.One day, as she lifted boxes, Vasquez injured her neck and shoulder. Soon after, she filed claims for benefits. But her employer had opted out of traditional workers’ compensation, as it was entitled to do by state law, and denied Vasquez’s claims for treatment.

Arlington, VA – A new set of surveys from the American Transportation Research Institute (the research arm of the American Trucking Associations) and Mayo Clinic asks motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers about how regulatory changes have affected the quality and length of driver medical examinations.

Washington – In a move to address so-called “midnight rules,” Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee have sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez requesting a list of regulations and other guidance the Department of Labor intends to release by the end of President Barack Obama’s second and final term.

Austin, TX – Overweight and obese workers are more likely to incur high workers’ compensation costs related to major injuries, according to research from the University of Texas at Austin.

Olympia, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has issued a hazard alert for workers who use thermal cutting tools to de-tension cables embedded in concrete structures such as bridges and freeway overpasses, warning them of the dangers of lead exposure.

Washington – A new final rule from OSHA is aimed at improving protections for seamen who inform the government about violations of maritime safety laws or regulations.