safety News

2 Southern California Schools Closed over Asbestos Will Reopen

Two of three Orange County, Calif. schools closed last year after asbestos was found will reopen for classes at the start of the new school year. The Los Angeles Times reported that Hope View and Oak View elementary schools in …

California Prosecutors Say Uber Screening Missed Ex-Convicts

Uber Technologies Inc.’s criminal background checks for drivers failed to prevent it from hiring registered sex offenders, identity thieves, burglars, a kidnapper and a convicted murderer, California prosecutors said. The district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles escalated their …

Serving Cart at Heart of Hawaii Couple’s Suit against United Airlines

A Hawaii couple is suing United Airlines, claiming a fallen serving cart caused $75,000 in damages. Peter and Misty Tampon filed a federal lawsuit last week against the airline, according to KHON-TV. The pair claims that during an August 2013 …

California Regulators Consider Investigation of PG&E Safety Culture

California utility regulators are considering an investigation into the safety culture and governance of PG&E Corp., citing persistent lapses in company oversight. If approved, the California Public Utilities Commission would investigate the “organizational culture, governance and operations” at PG&E to …

Oregon City Factors Tsunami Threat Into Expansion Plans

Seaside, Ore. officials have all the checkboxes ready for planning their expansion, public transportation, affordable housing and of course tsunami preparedness. The Daily Astorian reported that the Planning Commission heard public testimony recently on a proposal to amend the city’s …

Oregon Workplace Deaths Down in Second Quarter of 2015, Report Shows

Workplace deaths in Oregon for the second quarter of 2015 were down markedly from the previous quarter, possibly resuming a long-turn trend of deaths on average falling steadily since the 1980s, according to the the state bureau that tracks the …

Judge in California Says Uber Must Face Taxi Suit over Safety Claims

Uber Technologies Inc. lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit over its claims to being safer than taxis. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco on Friday allowed the case to proceed, finding that the app-based ridesharing service has …

SkyWest Jet Plunge in April Prompts FAA Safety Limits

U.S. aviation regulators imposed unusual speed and altitude restrictions on St. George, Utah-based SkyWest Inc., a regional airline flying for several mainline carriers, after one of its planes temporarily plummeted out of control in April. The Federal Aviation Administration said …

Michigan Rail Project to Eliminate Dangerous Crossing

Officials say a project to extend a rail line in a DTE Energy Co. rail yard in suburban Detroit, Mich. is designed to improve safety and traffic flow. Work begins July 13 in Trenton. The yard holds trains delivering coal …

California Fire That Threatened Homes is Fully Contained

A wildfire that might have been started by fireworks and burned more than 320 acres while threatening homes in the California city of Vacaville was 100 percent contained Sunday, officials said. The fire started Saturday night and embers were quickly …