safety News

Only 3 to Check Safety on Colorado Pipelines from Thousands of Wells

State records show Colorado has only three people assigned to check on the safety of pipelines running from about 54,000 active oil and gas wells, a task that came under scrutiny after a leaking pipeline was blamed for a fatal …

Weak Safety Standards Caused California Exxon Refinery Blast, Agency Says

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has concluded that a 2015 explosion at a Torrance, Calif., refinery then owned by Exxon Mobil Corp. could have been prevented, the agency concluded in a report issued on Wednesday. “This explosion and near miss …

Asbestos Removal At Nevada Site to Cost $53K

A small city in northern Nevada is moving forward with the demolition of its old police station. The Elko Daily Free Press reported the Elko City Council is considering awarding a $53,000 bid to a company to remove asbestos from …

Regulators in California Hit PG&E with $8.3M Fine for Deadly Wildfire

Regulators say they have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a massive blaze in Northern California that destroyed 549 homes and killed two people. The California Public Utilities Commission …

Appeals Court Upholds $250K in Damages Against Pan Am for Injured Maine Employee

A federal appeals court has upheld $250,000 in damages against Pan Am Railways, saying the company illegally retaliated against a Maine employee. The Portland Press Herald reports conductor Jason Raye told his supervisors about a pile of railroad ties next …

Inspectors Find Continuing Safety Issues at Washington Mental Hospital

Inspectors who visited Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital found that safety problems that thrust the facility into the national spotlight after the escape of two dangerous patients a year ago persist, including neglected patients. And a survey of Western State …

Oakland Fire Captain Recommended Building Be Shut Down in January

An Oakland fire captain recommended in January that a building that burned this week, killing four people, should be shut down immediately for safety reasons, but department officials opted to take less drastic measures, records released Friday show. In an …

The Similarities Between 2 Deadly Oakland Fires Are Striking

The similarities between two deadly Oakland, Calif. fires that occurred nearly four months apart are striking: Each involved a dangerously dilapidated building with an absentee landlord and renters desperate for affordable housing in the expensive San Francisco Bay Area. The …

California City Seeks to Improve Safety by Scanning License Plates

A California city plans to scan the license plates of all incoming cars by placing stationary cameras at key intersections in a bid to boost public safety. The seaside city of Carlsbad will spend $1 million to add cameras at …

Travel Businesses in California’s Big Sur Community Reeling After Bridge Closure

Almost all the hotels, restaurants and state parks cut off when a bridge on the Central California coast crumbled last month remain closed, but Kurt Mayer chose to keep his deli and taproom open — even though it’s costing him. …