Research and Special Programs Administration withdrew an advance notice of proposed rulemaking requesting comments on a research study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute on the dynamics of tank-vehicle rollover and the implications for rollover-protection devices. RSPA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have decided further study is needed. For more information, visit this site and search Docket No. 5921.
Sunlight Coach Inc., a motor coach operation based in Summit, Ill., was ordered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month to cease interstate operations for failing to comply with the motor carrier safety regulations. The agency said Sunlight operated motor coaches in an unsafe condition, had inadequate maintenance and showed disregard for the safety regs, including the hours-of-service rules.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration seeks comment until July 6 on its Site-Specific Targeting inspection program to determine how the program is accomplishing its goal of targeting the nation’s most hazardous workplaces for inspection. The request for comment appeared in the May 6 issue of the Federal Register. For more information, visit this site.
OSHA is extending until June 16 the informal public comment period on two guidance documents about the workplace chemical safety hazard communication initiative announced in March. For more information, visit this site.
John Doe was towing an empty tank trailer behind his 1989 conventional tractor. He knew from long experience that a tractor without ABS pulling an ABS-less empty trailer makes for wildly unbalanced braking. As if he needed a sign from the gods that trouble might loom ahead, light rain began hitting the road, making a slippery emulsion out of the oil and dust.
Doe recognized the need to minimize his stopping distance to keep his rig stable should the unexpected occur. So he dropped his speed to 35 mph, well below the posted 50 mph limit. That, he thought, would be sufficient given the lack of traffic congestion on the level, four-lane road, which had signal-controlled access and good visibility.
Soon, Doe approached an intersection with another route that came in from the right. The light remained green as he approached the crossroads. Just before Doe actually entered the intersection, he caught sight of a passenger car abruptly turning left in front of him. Doe had not been especially alert to the potential for such an act. The car’s driver apparently had not only not bothered to activate his turn signal but, in fact, had run right through a red left turn lane signal.
