Trump Requires Truck Drivers to Speak English

• An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday requires commercial truck drivers to be proficient in English.
• Trump last month Trump designated English as the country’s official language in an separate executive order.
• “They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the order said. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English.”
• The order specifies that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will issue a new guidance on English proficiency testing and enforcement policies.
• A violation of the English language proficiency requirement would put a driver “out-of-service,” the order said.
  READ MORE

Safety Lapses Cited in 2024 West Elk Mine Death

• The Mine Safety and Health Administration investigative report into a death at Colorado’s West Elk Mine last August has pointed to safety lapses that contributed to the accident.
• A worker was killed in an accident that occurred while he was shoveling rock from an above-ground belt conveyor at the underground coal mine.
• According to the final report, “The mine operator directed and allowed miners to work where there were known safety hazards, and did not follow their belt conveyor inspection, cleaning, and lockout procedures. The accident occurred because the mine operator did not: 1) ensure Barnes wore fall protection, and 2) block the belt conveyor against hazardous motion before performing maintenance.”
• The investigation found that the mine operator failed to block the belt conveyor from moving by securing the counterweight in the raised position, contributing to the accident. It said the mine didn’t suitably lock and tag out the conveyor.
• According to the report, prior to the fatality, MSHA had last completed a regular safety and health inspection at the mine on June 28, 2024.
  READ MORE

Canada’s BC Sees Rise in Deadly Workplace Accident Rate

• British Columbia is seeing a steady increase in the workplace traumatic injury fatality rate, according to public health researchers.
• WorkSafeBC refers to these as “other” fatalities, and include incidents like falls from heights, electrocutions and contact with machinery.
• The 2025 Report on Work Fatality and Injury Rates in Canada, co-authored by Sean Tucker, professor of occupational health and safety at the University of Regina, calls attention to systemic data delays, under-reporting, and policy gaps that undermine prevention efforts.
• Using data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), the report differentiates between traumatic injury fatalities and occupational disease deaths, offering a rare jurisdictional comparison.
• Some 146 people died from a work-related cause in 2024 in the Western Canada province, according to WorkSafeBC data. Of those, 78 died from disease related to their work.
• Construction and manufacturing industry accidents are primarily driving the overall increase in work-related traumatic fatalities.
• Healthcare, across Canada, is also a major source of workplace injury, according to the researchers.
  READ MORE