Coming Events

July 1, 2001
Clean Gulf 2001 Planned For October in Alabama Clean Gulf 2001, the 11th annual conference and exhibition on oil and hazardous materials spill prevention,

Clean Gulf 2001 Planned For October in Alabama

Clean Gulf 2001, the 11th annual conference and exhibition on oil and hazardous materials spill prevention, response, and technology, is planned for Oct 23-25, 2001, in Mobile AL. This year's conference is hosted and supported by the State of Alabama, Department of Environmental Management; State of Florida, Department of Environmental Protection; State of Louisiana, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office; State of Texas, General Land Office; State of Mississippi, Department of Environmental Quality; United States Coast Guard; and the Minerals Management Service.

Key professionals from state agencies, the federal government, and private industry will address the issues of cooperation, regulation, preparedness, prevention, and response.

In an indoor/outdoor exhibition, more than 175 displays will showcase top spill prevention, emergency response, clean-up, remediation equipment, fire, and salvage and services. For more information, phone 713-463-9595, fax 713-463-9997, or access www.cleangulf.org.

HazMat Training Tour To Travel the Midwest

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) are sponsoring the TransCAER (Transportation Community Awareness & Emergency Response) Region V training tour in September and October 2001. The tour will travel across several Midwest states.

Multi-day training will occur at each of the eight scheduled stops. This will allow more emergency responders, Local Emergency Planning Committee members, and community officials to participate in emergency response training. Participants can receive hands-on training on hazmat transport equipment.

The tour will feature 11 railcars and several tank trucks and trailers. Companies scheduled to have equipment on-site are: Bayer, BNSF, BP Amoco, DuPont, Farmland Industries, Groendyke Transportation Inc, Rohm Haas, UP, and Webb Area Transportation Companies. Booths from TransCAER, Operation Respond, and the Environmental Protection Agency will accompany the tour.

Tour locations and dates are: Grand Junction CO, Sept 4-5; Denver CO, Sept 8-9; North Platte NE, Sept 13-14; Lincoln NE, Sept 18-19; Topeka KS, Sept 22-23; Kansas City MO, Oct 1-2; Springfield MO, Oct 5-6; and St Louis MO, Oct 11-12. For more information, e-mail Lou Wagner, UP and TransCAER Region V coordinator, at [email protected].

COHMED Schedules Training Conference for Autumn

The Cooperative Hazardous Materials Education (COHMED) organization has scheduled its fall training conference for Oct 14-18, 2001, in Braintree MA at the Sheraton Braintree Hotel. An outreach activity of the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) Office of Hazardous Materials Initiatives and Training, COHMED consists of federal, state, and local agencies, and industry from the United States and Canada.

Attending the meeting will be representatives of United States and Mexican federal, state, provincial, and local governments, as well as transportation industry representatives. Topics will include the latest development in hazmat regulations, enforcement, emergency planning and preparedness, training, and response. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or phone 202-366-4900.

Forums Will Focus on Ergonomics Safety

United States Labor Secretary Elaine L Chao has announced that she would convene three national public forums in July 2001 on ergonomics safety in the workplace. She said she plans to identify a final course of action on the issue by September.

Forums will be held July 16 in Washington DC, July 20 in Illinois, and July 24 in California. Members of the public may speak at a forum or submit written comments. An administrative law judge will conduct the forums, which will include participation by Chao and other senior Labor Department officials.

Chao identified this set of principles that the Labor Department will use to begin creating a new ergonomics approach:

  • Prevention: Place greater emphasis on preventing injuries.

  • Sound science: Based on the best available science and research.

  • Incentive-driven: Focus on cooperation between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and employers.

  • Flexibility: Take account of varying capabilities and characteristics of different businesses.

  • Feasibility: Future actions must recognize the costs of compliance to small businesses.

  • Clarity: Short, simple, and common-sense instructions.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 582,300 musculoskeletal injuries resulted in employees missing time from work in 1999, the last year for which statistics are available. That was down from 1998 figures, which showed 592,500 such injuries, and down from more than 763,000 in 1993.

Seminars to Explain Drug-Testing Regulations

Foley Services Inc, a drug and alcohol testing third-party administrator, will conduct 39 seminars in cities across 24 states on revisions to the mandated Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) drug and alcohol testing program that must be implemented by Aug 1, 2001. Seminars are designed to help employers understand the new regulations and to explain changes they must make to meet new Department of Transportation requirements. Changes cover all aspects of the mandatory drug and alcohol testing program for commercial drivers.

Both 49 CFR Part 40 (issued December 2000) and 49 CFR Part 382 (NPRM issued April 30, 2001) affect most aspects of the program for employers and service agents, but the seminar will focus on employer requirements. Participants can learn what actions to implement for changes already in effect and those that must be completed by Aug 1, 2001. Seminars will cover changes in an employer's drug and alcohol testing policy for commercial drivers, background research requirements, new return-to-duty requirements, and the new drug and alcohol testing forms.

As a bonus, Foley will provide participants with information on a new driver qualification file system. This system was developed to simplify employer requirements under the FMCSA regulations for driver qualification files, including the Foley FormPak driver qualification file system. For more information on the Foley seminar series, phone 800-253-5506 and press 1.

DGSA Training Course, Exam to Be Offered

The Hazardous Materials Advisory Council (HMAC) will sponsor a Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) preparatory training course and DGSA examination Sept 17-22, 2001, in Baltimore MD.

Set for Sept 17-21, the five-day preparatory course will cover information necessary to take the DGSA exam offered September 22 by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

The DGSA exam is designed to certify qualifications of individuals responsible for shipping dangerous goods in compliance with European Union Directive 96/35/EC, which took effect Jan 1, 2000. The course and exam will be held at Embassy Suites Hotel Baltimore at BWI Airport, 1300 Concourse Dr, Linthicum MD 21090. Price of the course and the exam are still being negotiated. The cut-off date for reservations is Aug 24, 2001.

For more information, contact HMAC at [email protected] or phone 410-850-0747.

TMW User Group to Convene in Cleveland

TMW Systems' 14th annual User Group will be held Sept 12-16, 2001, at the Sheraton City Centre in Cleveland OH. The four-day conference, open to customers, fleets, business partners, and the trade media, features more than 100 seminars, technology displays, demonstrations by more than 35 vendors, and various social events.

The original one-day TMW User Group in 1988 included just a few customers who gathered in Tom Weisz's basement around a folding table. By contrast, the 2001 event will require the entire 470-room Sheraton City Centre Hotel, as well as overflow facilities. On the program are general and specific sessions covering all aspects of TMW enterprise software solutions and information systems.

For more information, including a list of specific sessions, visit www.tmwsystems.com/usergroup.html or phone 216-831-6606, ext 357.

Emergency Response Workshop Scheduled

The Greensboro (NC) Fire Department will host the next Open Enrollment — Tank Truck Emergency Response Workshop, set for Aug 21-22, 2001, in Greensboro. These events are sponsored by Safe Transportation Training Specialists LLC. Class size is limited, and the advance registration discount fee of $349 will be available through July 23, 2001. Registrations after July 23 will be accepted at the standard registration fee of $399 if seats are available.

Jackson MS will be the site of the next Open Enrollment Workshop, set for Sept 11-12, 2001, at the Mississippi Fire Academy. For directions, lodging information, and a schedule for the rest of 2001, access www.safetransportation.com.

ITCO Postpones Exhibition in Germany

The International Tank Container Organization (ITCO) has postponed its exhibition in Berlin, Germany, from October 2001 to the second half of 2002, with exact date and location to be announced. This decision was reached after a study by the ITCO secretariat regarding the industry's response to the exhibition and conference. For more information, access www.itco.be.

Freightliner Names Simplex Lite as Standard

Freightliner has made Consolidated Metco's Simplex Lite line of fifthwheels standard on its tractors. These lightweight fifthwheels, each equipped with TaperLoc air-activated 24" sliders, will become standard equipment on Freightliner tractors beginning with the company's fourth-quarter 2000 databook release.

Study Outlines Compensation, Benefits Provided by Canadian Trucking Companies

Cerno Research Inc, publisher of Canadian compensation and benefits research, has issued an updated annual report focusing on compensation practices of Canadian trucking operations. The 2001 Trucking Operations Compensation & Benefits Reports cover the trucking industry in Canada featuring both national and regional results.

Produced in partnership with the Canadian Trucking Alliance and associated provincial trucking organizations, including the original sponsoring trucking organization, the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), the 2001 trucking report is based upon survey data collected from more than 294 Canadian trucking operations. Wage levels of more than 90,000 employees are represented in 94 different job descriptions ranging from junior employees to senior executives. The study also covers more than 30 topics regarding employment policies and benefits.

The 2001 study found that the trucking industry is facing a national average turnover rate of 35.8% among its drivers.

Turnover rates among other employees were lower, but well ahead of the rates reported in Cerno Research's national manufacturing study. To obtain the report, phone 416-595-0160, fax 416-595-0150, or access www.cernoresearch.com.

Gunite Corp, Brazilian Company Partner

Gunite Corp has announced a contractual alliance with Metaneide of Ceará, Brazil. Under this agreement, Metaneide will produce specific Gunite products in Brazil for distribution in North America. Gunite will extend the same warranty on these products as the ones produced in North American facilities.

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