Safety Standards

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is moving to replace government safety requirements at federal nuclear facilities with standards written by contractors -- after Congress directed the government to start fining the contractors for violations. Long-established government minimum standards at the more than two dozen nuclear weapons plants and research labs around the nation would become unenforceable guidelines under the Energy Department proposal. Senator Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky, an author of the 2002 legislation ordering the fines, accused the administration this week of...

Police say a train has crashed into a minivan that was stalled at a crossing in central Indonesia, killing at least 11 members of a family. Three others are in critical condition. Local police chief Gupuh Setiyono says the minivan was carrying 14 people when it suddenly stopped Sunday at the unguarded crossing in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya. He says the dead include five children. Poor safety standards and poorly maintained vehicles claim hundreds of lives in Indonesia each year.

The Labor Department has filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to require DeMoulas Supermarkets Inc. to fix safety problems at the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Market Basket stores. The Labor Department's complaint comes after the agency cited the grocery chain in the fall for 30 alleged "serious violations" of safety standards at stores in Rindge and Concord, N.H. The Tewksbury company, which could not be reached for comment, has contested $589,200 in proposed fines.

WASHINGTON - The US Senate approved a bipartisan two-year blueprint for transportation Wednesday on a vote of 74 to 22 that gives states greater spending flexibility, allows the government to set minimum safety standards for subways, and buys time to find a funding solution for a system on the verge of bankruptcy. The $109 billion bill was approved 17 days before funding and authority to collect the gas tax that support it are due to expire. After efforts to move a House bill stalled last week, the Senate bill may be the only chance for legislation to reach the White House in time.

Police say a train has crashed into a minivan that was stalled at a crossing in central Indonesia, killing at least 11 members of a family. Three others are in critical condition. Local police chief Gupuh Setiyono says the minivan was carrying 14 people when it suddenly stopped Sunday at the unguarded crossing in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya. He says the dead include five children. Poor safety standards and poorly maintained vehicles claim hundreds of lives in Indonesia each year.

LOME, Togo - Africa accounts for only 4 percent of the world’s air traffic but nearly a third of the world’s air disasters occur on the continent, a top aviation official said, and the dismal situation has prompted aviation officials to tighten safety standards and collaborate on crash investigations. In a three-day meeting in this West African capital, aviation officials from across the continent decided Thursday to form regional organizations to investigate all air crashes, said Latta Gnama, director of the Civil Aviation Organization of Togo.

Japan's Cabinet has approved a bill designed to put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear reactors as one of several steps to improve safety after last year's Fukushima disaster. The legislation introduced Tuesday still needs parliamentary approval to take effect. Japan currently has no legal limit on the operational lifespan of reactors. The bill allows an extension of up to 20 years in some cases — an exception that critics have blasted as a loophole. Officials have said extensions will be rare and require strict safety standards.

BEIJING -- China's regulatory standards chief pledged yester day to update and boost enforcement of food safety rules as the country faces intense international pressure for exporting unsafe products, from toothpaste to pet food ingredients. Chinese-made toothpaste has been rejected by several countries, while Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine was blamed for dog and cat deaths in North America. Other products turned away by US inspectors include toxic monkfish, frozen eel, and juice made with unsafe color additives.

WASHINGTON - The US Senate approved a bipartisan two-year blueprint for transportation Wednesday on a vote of 74 to 22 that gives states greater spending flexibility, allows the government to set minimum safety standards for subways, and buys time to find a funding solution for a system on the verge of bankruptcy. The $109 billion bill was approved 17 days before funding and authority to collect the gas tax that support it are due to expire. After efforts to move a House bill stalled last week, the Senate bill may be the only chance for legislation to reach the White...

WASHINGTON - Four senators, including the chairman of the Senate's aviation panel, have asked a government watchdog to investigate safety enforcement at regional airlines. In a letter released yesterday, the senators told Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel that the circumstances of the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo in February raised questions about the Federal Aviation Administration's enforcement of regulations related to pilot training and crew rest at regional carriers.

TOKYO - Japan's nuclear safety chief said yesterday that the country's regulations are flawed, outdated, and below global standards, and he apologized for their failure when a tsunami crippled one plant last year. Haruki Madarame acknowledged that Japanese safety requirements such as for tsunami and power losses were too loose and that many officials have looked the other way and tried to avoid changes. "I must admit that the nuclear safety guidelines that we have issued until now have various flaws," he said.

Japan's Cabinet has approved a bill designed to put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear reactors as one of several steps to improve safety after last year's Fukushima disaster. The legislation introduced Tuesday still needs parliamentary approval to take effect. Japan currently has no legal limit on the operational lifespan of reactors. The bill allows an extension of up to 20 years in some cases — an exception that critics have blasted as a loophole. Officials have said extensions will be rare and require strict safety standards.

The Labor Department has filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to require DeMoulas Supermarkets Inc. to fix safety problems at the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Market Basket stores. The Labor Department's complaint comes after the agency cited the grocery chain in the fall for 30 alleged "serious violations" of safety standards at stores in Rindge and Concord, N.H. The Tewksbury company, which could not be reached for comment, has contested $589,200 in proposed fines.

WASHINGTON - FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was placed on a leave of absence yesterday and US officials said his employment is under review following his arrest for drunken driving in suburban Northern Virginia. Babbitt, 65, was charged with operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor after a patrol officer spotted him driving on the wrong side of the street and pulled him over about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Fairfax City, Va., said police in the Washington suburb. Babbitt, who lives in Reston, Va., was alone in the vehicle, the statement said.

Some shoppers stroll to their neighborhood farmers' market because they want to support local food producers. Others are there because they are afraid of getting salmonella. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources found that food safety is one of the main reasons that people prefer to buy local produce. The department also observed that nationwide recalls of tainted foods have a negative impact on sales of the same kinds of foods that are grown locally and are entirely safe.

WASHINGTON — Government vehicle safety regulators may seek greater authority to investigate defects in cars and trucks after Toyota’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles for safety problems. David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said yesterday that his agency will take a “hard look’’ at the power it has to set safety standards for automakers. Current authority, acquired in the 1960s and 1970s, may not be enough to oversee the technology used in modern vehicles, he said.

PARIS - New airline safety standards may be required after the crash of Air France Flight 447 cast doubt on the reliability of speed-measuring equipment in difficult, stormy conditions, French aviation investigators said yesterday. The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil’s coast en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1. All 228 people aboard were killed. Many families of victims have expressed frustration with the lack of information over the past six months.

CANBERRA, Australia -- The sweat-stained felt hats worn by Australian cowboys, as much a part of the Outback as kangaroos and sun-baked soil, may be heading for the history books. They fail modern industrial safety standards. It all stems from the death of a cowboy, who suffered massive head injuries after being trampled in a fall from a horse while mustering bulls in July 2001. His sole protection was the tattered hat provided him for shading from the sun. The New South Wales state government brought charges against the ranch owner, who employed 23-year-old...

PARIS - New airline safety standards may be required after the crash of Air France Flight 447 cast doubt on the reliability of speed-measuring equipment in difficult, stormy conditions, French aviation investigators said yesterday. The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil’s coast en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1. All 228 people aboard were killed. Many families of victims have expressed frustration with the lack of information over the past six months.